Scott Morrison needs to end the confusion on Covid vaccines policy

Under-40s in Victoria are told in state-run vaccine centres that they cannot book an appointment because it is too early. Picture: AAP

Scott Morrison should come clean and back companies like SPC that are attempting to mandate vaccinations by issuing clear instructions to overcome the myriad conflicts creating confusion.

Trouble is if you are under 40 in Victoria today and try to get any vaccine through official channels, you will be told to come back later.

The mixed messages and conflicted statements on the issue are crying out for a level of leadership from Canberra, which is sadly missing.

Companies are caught between a requirement that they provide a safe workplace and a ruling from Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker that says most companies can’t mandate vaccinations.

“In the current circumstances, the overwhelming majority of employers should assume that they can’t require their employees to be vaccinated against corona­virus,” she said.

“The Australian government’s policy is that receiving a vaccination is voluntary, although it aims to have as many Australians vaccinated as possible.

“However, there are limited circumstances where an employer may require their employees to be vaccinated.”

The Fair Work Ombudsman’s policy goes further, stating “if no law, agreement or employment contract applies that requires ­vaccination, whether it would be lawful and reasonable for an employer to give their employees a direction to be vaccinated (which is assessed on a case-by-case basis)”.

In short, the advice gives the naysayers plenty of reason to attack a company like SPC, which has rightly gone on the front foot by insisting its workers be vaccinated.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce wants his worker vaccinated but has stopped short of mandating it and instead is conducting a company-wide survey.

While he is awaiting the results, the NSW government has imposed a rule that all people involved with international flights be vaccinated.

This followed the start of its present outbreak blamed on a driver taking people from an international flight.

ACTU assistant secretary Liam O’Brien said in a statement: “Let’s be clear about what the problem is here – this is about the near impossibility for many Australians to actually get the vaccine, thanks to Scott Morrison’s failed rollout.

“The union representing SPC’s workforce, the AMWU, has made it very clear that they support vaccination.

“How can anyone be expected to get vaccinated by November when most Australians aren’t even eligible to book a vaccination appointment and are unlikely to be for many months to come?

“Under work health and safety law employers are required to consult with workers and their unions when it comes to health and safety including when introducing vaccination policies.

“If we’re going to get jabs in everyone’s arms, and quickly, we need to remove these obstacles by providing paid leave to access and recover from vaccination.”

A slew of big companies like the banks are preparing for mass vaccinations through third-party providers in the same way they hand out flu injections each year as well as guaranteed half-day paid leave.

SPC mandating vaccination, as reported by Jared Lynch on Thursday, is in clear breach of the Ombudsman’s warning, unless it claims exemption for being a food service company. That is the state of play in the confusion around vaccination policy.

But the company has quietly agreed to let through exemptions. It wasn’t the bare-chested bravado first reported.

The Fair Work Ombudsman is awaiting any complaints to test the policy, but far better for the government to mandate a new rule. SPC chairman Hussein Rifai is 120 per cent correct in demanding vaccination from staff and visitors, but while the FWO ruling stands as it is, many companies will be wary of following.

The Prime Minister needs to be clear in his directive.

The difference between rhetoric and reality is extraordinary, with by way of example the population told to vaccinate, yet under-40s in Victoria at least are told in state-run vaccine centres that they cannot book an appointment because it is too early.

It makes zero sense for Morrison to bang the drum about vaccination when the population who want to do the right thing is told not to bother turning up for a jab.

Big companies are lining up to support the vaccination push but while the FWO ruling is there they won’t be mandating anything.

In the US, big companies are mandating vaccination, with the option of weekly tests for those who don’t want one. This is a good compromise.

SPC has made an excellent start. Now the government should back it up with clear policy statements rather than meaningless targets when many people are ­officially denied access.

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Outlook clouds reports

Billions in government handouts and record low rates helped boost corporate profits last financial year, as shown by the accompanying table. It is included to reflect changes in analyst estimates as the earnings season rolls on.

As usual the key is the forecasts, which sadly will be affected by Covid because with lockdowns and forecast negative economic growth few companies will be prepared to outline forecasts.

 

The spread of the Delta variant in China has the potential to cause mayhem by maybe shutting down steel production, which will hit iron ore prices, shutting down other supply chains and of course China’s economic growth.

NAB has growth this calendar year at 2.5 per cent, but that comes after a 2 per cent negative quarter ending in September.

MST’s Hasan Tevfik says this earnings season the numbers don’t count because of the virus uncertainty. We are talking about big companies, but the big unknown is what happens to the small business sector, which for some in Victoria has been shut for six months in the past year.

What was to be a stunning reporting season has been clouded by uncertainty and the knowledge that if companies couldn’t recover last year with so much external stimulus, when could they?

The market is trading at almost 20 times this year’s earnings, which is expensive and vulnerable to a near-term correction if there are any negative surprises.