Biz want rights to ban unvaxxed, as Covid road map 2.0 a no show

Confused businesses have been left fearing legal repercussions if they ban unvaccinated customers as the state government fails to deliver on a promised second Covid-19 road map.

Frustrated Queensland businesses are demanding the government provide protections to allow them to ban unvaccinated customers without the fear of legal repercussions, industry groups say.

Businesses were left confused last week when Deputy Premier Steven Miles said a second Covid-19 road map would be released for businesses detailing customer vaccination restrictions, only for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to emerge two days later and declare there was no second road map.

Under the existing road map companies will be exempt from some public health restrictions if only vaccinated customers are served once the state reaches the 80 per cent double-dose milestone.

However, Queensland businesses - which for weeks remained uncertain about the state’s path out of Covid-19 – are now calling for the government to ensure banning unvaccinated customers would not lead to legal complaints.

National Retail Association CEO Dominique Lamb said questions remained about the legalities of companies denying entry to unvaccinated customers.

“If there’s no mandated requirements for someone to be vaccinated, if you chose not to allow people in based on vaccination, that fails to provide protections to businesses in terms of discrimination claims,” she said.

Ms Lamb said it was a “tall ask” to suggest turning away customers after businesses had worked hard to comply with health directives including enforcing social distancing, the use of masks and QR codes.

She said a lack of clarity and consistency from the government was “frustrating” for Ms Lamb, who said businesses had received little communication from the state, except for the advice to get their own legal advice.

“Ideally I think this shouldn’t be up to businesses,” she said.

“It’s something, in my view, that could be easily cleared up with a directive. But as we understand it, the government won’t go down that path.”

Dominique Lamb from the National Retail Association

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland Policy and Advocacy Manager Cherie Josephson said businesses needed to know what conditions and compliance requirements they would have to meet.

“They need to know how any mandatory vaccine rules in workplaces and business premises will be controlled, if there will be any changes to density limits, restrictions, testing and isolation and hygiene compliance requirements and what contact tracing obligations they will have to meet,” she said.

Ms Josephson said small businesses across Queensland needed time and support to prepare for when the state’s economy reopens.

“It will be too late for those businesses to be notified about any new rules, obligations or requirements they will need to meet under new Covid business as usual conditions when borders are already open,” she said.

“It’s also essential those businesses are afforded detail on how mandatory vaccination at their premises will be monitored and who will be responsible for enforcing it.

Mr Miles reiterated the government was making it “optional” for businesses to put a vaccine mandate in place.

“At the 80 per cent mark, businesses can choose to be vaccinated only and if they did so, they would be exempted from those other public health restrictions,” he said.

“That’s embedded in the road map. We’ve been talking to business and industry about if they want to avail themselves of that.

“It’s optional … but it’s there particularly for those businesses for whom social distancing restrictions can be quite onerous.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

Ms Palaszczuk said no decision had been made yet on whether unvaccinated people would be allowed into government facilities, including stadiums, or if businesses would be rewarded with more relaxed restrictions if they only open to those vaccinated.

“We’ll work through all of those issues. I think we said earlier that businesses will make up their own minds about what they want to do and some businesses will only allow vaccinated people in,” she said.