Police Commissioner proposes mask mandate for NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services staff who are unvaccinated

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has proposed a mandate for any NTPFES staff who refuse to get a Covid-19 vaccination, an internal email obtained by the NT News reveals.

NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services (NTPFES) staff who refuse to get a Covid-19 vaccination may soon be required to wear a mask while on the job, it can be revealed.

In an agency-wide internal email obtained by the NT News, Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker, who is also the chief executive of Fire and Emergency Services, proposed the policy be introduced to mitigate the “significant risk” the Covid-19 pandemic poses to the government agency.

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“(The pandemic) has the real potential to seriously disrupt police, fire and emergency services capacity and capability,” the email states.

“This includes our corporate support areas which are essential to ensuring operations and continued delivery of service. To mitigate this risk the Commissioner/CEO is proposing to issue an instruction through an agency-wide policy that employees who have not received at least one Covid-19 vaccination will be required to wear a face mask at all times while at work.

“The proposed introduction of a mandatory face mask instruction through an agency-wide policy is to ensure we are prioritising the health and safety of our workforce and their families during this challenging time, and in particular those staff that chose to not get vaccinated may be at a higher risk.”

An NTPFES spokesman refused to respond to questions on the proposed policy, other than to say it was “an internal matter” and that consultations were under way with the relevant unions.

In the email, Mr Chalker justified the potential mask mandate under the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 1993 and the Northern Territory Police Administration Act 1978.

The email states the policy is in a draft stage and will take into consideration feedback from union representatives.

The NT Police Association, the police union, refused to provide comment.

The NT News understands representatives from the union are meeting about the proposal with relevant stakeholders on Tuesday.

It is expected the policy would give consideration to staff whose circumstances prevent them from being vaccinated, according to the email.

The email encourages all staff who haven’t yet had a Covid-19 vaccination to book an appointment.

It also asks staff to complete a Covid-19 vaccine register “to assist Taskforce Protect (a taskforce established in response to the pandemic to ‘oversee and implement business continuity plans’) in the ongoing management of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Some NT workers, including aged care workers and those working in quarantine facilities, are already required to be partially or fully vaccinated.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner last month flagged that he may impose further mandates for vaccinations in other settings.

“I am flagging that to protect our children it may be mandatory for people who work with kids to be vaccinated,” he said. “Your choice to be vaccinated or not remains, there just may be some workplaces where as a result you don’t work.”