Jabless, jobless: Tens of thousands face losing work under Covid jab mandate

Get vaccinated or risk unemployment: Anti-vaxxers face being forced out of work under Victoria’s tough new Covid jab mandate.

Tens of thousands of Victorians could be forced out of work if they refuse to be vaccinated, under a tough new statewide jab mandate.

The new health orders mean an estimated 1.2 million people on the state’s authorised workers list — which includes police officers, judges, MPs, AFL players and truck drivers — must have received their first vaccine by October 15 in order to go to work.

They will then have until November 26 to be fully vaccinated.

The mandate adds to directions already under way requiring residential aged care, construction, healthcare and education workers to be vaccinated.

Concerns have been raised about massive job losses unless 100 per cent vaccination rates can be achieved in key employment areas, including policing and teaching.

More than 1000 police would be forced off the beat and 2500 teachers out of classrooms if vaccination levels in those sectors only reach 95 per cent.

VACCINE MANDATE: ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

More than 1000 police would be forced off the beat if vaccination levels in the policing sector only reach 95 per cent. Picture: Daniel Pockett

In total, an estimated 60,000 of Victoria’s authorised workers would be unable to work on site if the mandate fell even five per cent short of reaching its 100 per cent goal.

Currently more than 80 per cent of Victorians have already received a first dose and 50 per cent a second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Internationally only the small British territory of Gibraltar has vaccinated its entire adult population followed by the United Arab Emirates and Portugal who have each vaccinated just over 84 per cent of their population.

Ambulance Victoria said this week more than 92 per cent of its employees were vaccinated.

Daniel Andrews said the tough new stance was critical to keeping case numbers down so Victoria could open up on October 26.

“It is critically important that we do not see these cases continue to climb and go up and up and up so that our hospital system is under immense pressure even before we open up,” he said.

“(We) just won’t do that to our nurses, to our doctors, to all of our teams of those dedicated health professionals.”

“Even after we get to 80 per cent (double-dosed) and the authorisations are no longer there, the mandate, the rule, the chief health officer direction will stay in place because cases will still be an issue then.”

Truck drivers would be among the authorised workers mandated to get a Covid vaccine. Picture: Nicole Garmston

It comes as Victoria recorded 1143 new local cases and three coronavirus deaths.

Shepparton was on Friday night plunged into another seven day lockdown after a spike in case, just two weeks after restrictions in the region were eased.

A week-long lockdown was also announced for the Moorabool local government area which includes Bacchus Marsh and Ballan.

The AFL and AFL Players Association had refused to legislate mandatory vaccinations, but had highly recommended all their participants get vaccinated.

Cricket Australia confirmed that every nationally contracted player, male and female, and support staff were already fully vaccinated and 98 per cent of all contracted domestic and BBL and WBBL players have had their first dose, alleviating much concern.

AFLW players began pre-season training this week in Victoria, while those from the NBL and A League are well advanced in their preparation for competitions launching in November.

Business groups were mixed in their reaction to the announcement.

Tim Piper, the Victorian head of the employer association Ai Group, welcomed the mandate.

“This provides industry with much needed hope and certainty. Workers know what’s expected as do employees. It has the potential to be a game changer,” he said.

Disability service provider Beth Evans supports mandatory vaccination and is fully vaccinated. Picture: Tony Gough

But Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang described the move as draconian.

“We encourage every Australian who can be vaccinated, to be vaccinated, so we can get our lives back to some kind of normality – what we do not advocate for is a law enforcement approach to vaccination that has the potential to criminally punish a business owners and sole traders if they or their staff have elected to not be vaccinated,” he said.

Liberal Democrat David Limbrick said he would move a motion in parliament this week calling on the government to release the health advice and human rights assessment considered before making the order.

The state opposition slammed the move, accusing the government of going into panic mode amid slowing vaccination rates.

Shadow Attorney-General Tim Smith said the mandate raised serious questions.

“For example you can’t sack judges. Every judge should be jabbed but under the separation of powers and the fundamental importance of the independence of the judiciary you can’t sack judges,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews says the tough new stance is critical to keeping case numbers down so Victoria can open in weeks. Picture: Daniel Pockett

“This is a very dangerous precedent.

“Victorians should be encouraged. Not browbeaten.”

Maurice Blackburn Industrial and Employment law principal lawyer Kamal Faroque said under Victoria’s current state of emergency the vaccine mandate would be hard to challenge.

“Emergency powers include the ability to give a direction that is reasonably necessary to protect public health,” he said.

“The chief health officer, in issuing mandatory vaccination requirements, is exercising that power.

“It’s very likely that these orders, if there is any legal challenge, will be regarded as lawful.”

Last week the full Bench of the Fair Work Commission upheld the sacking of an employee who refused to get the flu vaccine.

But the commission’s deputy president Lyndall Dean slammed mandated vaccinations as a “lazy and fundamentally flawed approach”.

“It is an abhorrent concept and is morally and ethically wrong, and the anthesis of our democratic way of life,” Ms Dean said.

On Friday, national cabinet agreed on national rules that will make vaccination compulsory for everyone working across all health care settings in any state or territory.

In Victoria, the new authorised worker mandate announced will capture many of these same workers.