Hunter business community welcomes road map but not policing vaccine passports

The Hunter’s peak business body has welcomed the state’s road map to reopening but not the onus for policing vaccine passports, which it said were susceptible to cheating.

The NSW Government’s road map to freedom will help Hunter business owners plan for a return to trade after lockdown, but it still leaves some crucial questions unanswered according to the region’s peak business body.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian unveiled the plan on Thursday, which included the reopening of hospitality, retail and fitness and beauty businesses when the state achieves 70 per cent fully vaccinated status.

Hospitality will reopen when the state is 70 per cent fully vaccinated. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.

Although health officials wouldn’t put a date on freedom day, we’re forecast to meet the milestone about October 18.

“There are still a lot of caveats attached to what they have issued so it’s not absolutely satisfactory for everybody, but it will be good for some,” Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes said.

A key concern for Mr Hawes was the onus on business owners to ensure all customers were fully vaccinated.

Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes. Picture: Supplied.

Businesses could face significant fines if they served people who hadn’t had their second dose.

“I don’t think some businesses welcome the opportunity to police that,” Mr Hawes said.

“There is a reliance on the public doing the right thing and we’ve already seen at times in the community, whether it’s QR codes or wearing a mask, there’s an opportunity for noncompliance.

“I fully anticipate dare I say it that some people will try and cheat (the vaccine passport system) and I imagine in those cases the businesses won’t be held responsible, but there may be other times when it happens through no fault of their own.”

Mr Hawes said whether the region returned to yet another lockdown – which the premier warned could happen with a surge in cases – depended on the actions of the community.

“We want to put fresh emphasis on the clear message that it’s up to the community more than ever to make a concerted effort to stay at home, get the vaccine that’s available to your age group, and test at the first sign of illness to enable our business economy to open more widely as soon as possible,” he said.

In her daily update Ms Berejiklian said restrictions would ease on the Monday after whatever date the state met its 70 per cent vaccinated rate.

Business Hunter said vaccine passports would be difficult for businesses to police. Picture: Getty.

Mr Hawes said while businesses would relish the opportunity to reopen, many would benefit from knowing a specific reopening date.

“Events for example will struggle because what are you booking and when,” he said.

“It’s a bit nimble but we do expect as the economy reopens there will be a resettling period in terms of getting staff back who have been off the tools for a while or gone to other industries.

“The community expectation might be there but we’ve got to wait and see what the capacity and capability of our businesses are, particularly coming into the summer period which can be very, very busy.”

In positive news for workers, the test and isolate payment – which provides $320 to people who lose income while awaiting Covid test results – has been expanded statewide.