NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s push to scrap Covid isolation period

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has confirmed he will lobby to scrap the five-day mandatory isolation period for Covid-19 at Friday’s national cabinet meeting.

A proposal to scrap Covid isolation periods entirely will be discussed at Friday’s national cabinet meeting.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has confirmed he will lead the push to dump the existing five-day mandatory isolation period for Covid-19.

That would be in line with the United Kingdom, which no longer requires a mandatory isolation period for workers.

“I believe we need to get to a point where if you’re sick you stay at home, and if you’re not, you get out and about and enjoy life,” Mr Perrottet said.

“It’s always a balance between the public health, broader health issues like mental health, social wellbeing and economic and financial issues facing people across our state”.

National cabinet recently agreed to reduce the mandatory isolation period in Australia from seven days to five days.

Mr Perrottet said he hoped there could be national consistency on the rule change which would also involve scrapping pandemic pay.

“I certainly believe we need to keep taking steps forward as a nation when it comes to Covid. I believe we have made great inroads as a national cabinet,” he said.

“We’ve made steps in the right direction, reducing isolation from seven days to five days.

“I will continue to argue and work with my fellow premiers across the country to get to that point.”

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NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has confirmed he will lead the push to dump the existing five-day mandatory isolation period for Covid-19. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

Rapid antigen detection test (RADT) with two red stripes showing a POSITIVE result of a human sample testing. Mans fingers holding the white plastic device with a COVID-19 Ag inscription.

Last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that as long as mandatory isolation rules remain in place that some form of pandemic pay will be required for workers without sick leave.

“My own view is that while governments place or impose restrictions, then governments therefore have responsibilities as a result of those decisions,’’ Mr Albanese said.

However, he announced strict limits will be imposed on how many times you can claim the $540 pandemic leave payment.

Under the new rules you will only be able to claim pandemic pay three times before your entitlement runs out.

“The payment will remain available for as long as mandatory isolation periods are applied by all states and territories,’’ Mr Albanese said.

However, the Prime Minister left the door open to axing the payment – which is designed to offer support to workers who don’t have access to sick leave – at a future meeting.

“We remain of the view that if people are sick, whether from Covid or from other health issues, they should not be at work and that is important,’’ Mr Albanese said.

“We will have a discussion about future arrangements on September 30 when the national cabinet will meet in person.”

Last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that as long as mandatory isolation rules remain in place that some form of pandemic pay will be required for workers without sick leave. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Albanese also revealed that there was some evidence that Services Australia had identified fraudulent claims.

“Since the 20 July 2022, 2.6 per cent of all claims received triggered real-time fraud checks in the system and of those, more than 50 per cent were subsequently rejected and some 15 per cent were subsequently withdrawn by the claimant,’’ he said.

Australians are entitled to claim $450 if they lose at least eight and fewer than 20 hours of work as a result of being forced into Covid isolation, and $540 if they lose 20 hours or more of work.

Both the Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet are united that pandemic leave payments should stay in place for as long as COVID-19 isolation is compulsory.

In August, the national cabinet agreed that the mandated COVID-19 isolation period will be reduced from seven days to five days.

That meant the payment was slashed from $750 to $450 for the majority of eligible workers.

The decision, which came into force on September 9, does not apply to “vulnerable settings” which means, for example, that aged care workers may need to stay home for 7 days.