‘Lack of clarity’ around NT’s vaccine rules, Property Council Ruth Palmer says
The Property Council NT has slammed the Chief Minister for not consulting with industry before announcing his vaccination mandate on Wednesday.
Northern Territory
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THE Property Council has lashed a lack of consultation with industry groups by the NT government over its plans to mandate vaccinations for certain workers.
Launching a new campaign titled ‘Let’s Get the Jab Done’, Property Council NT executive director Ruth Palmer said her organisation backed the government’s policy on vaccines.
But Ms Palmer said the Property Council had been frustrated by a lack of consultation and confusing elements of the chief health officer Dr Hugh Heggie’s plans.
“Some elements to this week’s announcement lack clarity and have raised concerns across the industry,” she said.
“As an industry we are here to support our members and provide as much information as we can, and while we encourage eligible Territorians to get vaccinated, we are disappointed with the Government’s approach to the mandate without having consulted industry on relevant classifications.”
Ms Palmer said clearer communication with both industry and the public would help battle scepticism around the mandate.
“This lack of clarity has led to confusion and misleading information which further deters people in the community from rolling up their sleeves and getting the jab,” she said.
“Our campaign message is simple. Get a jab to save a job – and in doing so, we’ll get Australia’s comeback capital moving again.”
In response to questions, Chief Minister Michael Gunner late on Friday said consultation with organisations would be held in coming weeks.
“We thank Ruth and the Property Council for getting in behind our mandatory vaccination policy and backing in Territory lives and Territory businesses,” Mr Gunner said.
“We will consult with the Property Council and other stakeholders around the questions they have on implementation of the policy.”
Mr Gunner did not answer questions as to whether stakeholder groups were consulted before his announcement on Wednesday, nor whether his policy was easy to navigate for businesses and workers.
Under chief health officer Dr Hugh Heggie’s directions, any workers who interact with vulnerable members of the public must have at least their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by November 13 or they will be reassigned to a new role.
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