Covid Qld: TMR staff still required to be double vaxxed as mandate ends

With vaccine requirements to be dropped for most businesses the State Government will review its Covid vax mandates for public servants after it emerged workers at one department were told they would still need to be double-vaccinated to attend work.

The Palaszczuk Government is reviewing its Covid mandates for public servants following the Chief Health Officer’s decision to drop vaccine requirements for most businesses.

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said the government was consulting after it emerged Transport Director-General Neil Scales sent his own mandate to his employees telling them they would still need to be double-vaccinated to attend work.

From Thursday, unvaccinated people will be permitted to enter hospitality venues and businesses will be able to hire unjabbed workers.

“So we’re working through that and we’ll take the advice from the Chief Health Officer and all of the departments are working with their workforce on those policies,” Ms Fentiman said on Saturday.

She said the rule remained in her own department for some frontline staff, but that too was under review.

Transport and Main Roads director-general Neil Scales has written to the department’s almost 10,000 employees warning them they must have a second dose of vaccination by April 11 or be banned from the workplace.

Mr Scales said although CHO John Gerrard had removed the mandate on venues, there was a “duty of care” to department employees.

He said vaccination mandates where necessary “gives workforces an appropriate layer of protection while helping to lessen the need for restrictive population-wide mandates”.

Mr Scales argued Dr Gerrard’s direction did not change the likelihood of Covid-19 transmission, but in fact created “a slightly higher risk”.

Transport and Main Roads staff will still be required to be vaccinated.

“The TMR vaccine policy is about a director-general’s responsibility towards employees,” he said.

“It remains incumbent on all employers to provide a safe workplace.”

An application by the CFMEU and Electrical Trades Union to injunct the vaccination mandate was rejected by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission on Friday.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Jarrod Bleijie slammed the decision, arguing Queenslanders were attempting to move on from Covid-19.

“The director-general of Transport and Main Roads has issued his own directive and ignored the Premier’s (Annastacia Palaszczuk) announcement that from next week, proof of vaccination will no longer be required, except in vulnerable settings,” Mr Bleijie said.

“Acting Premier Cameron Dick should immediately override this director-general’s decision so employees of Transport and Main Roads can get on with their lives.

“It is outrageous for the director-general to make up his own rules for hardworking public servants.”

A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesman would not say how many of the organisation’s workers were unvaccinated, but said its vaccination policy was developed after extensive consultation.

“More than 3500 staff members provided feedback to departmental surveys earlier this year and about 65 per cent were extremely supportive,” he said.