Get Covid-19 vaccination or stay at home, says NAB boss Ross McEwan

National Australia Bank chief executive Ross McEwan has told people who do not want to get vaccinated that they can ‘stay at home’.

National Australia Bank chief executive Ross McEwan. Picture: Aaron Francis

National Australia Bank chief executive Ross McEwan has told people who do not want to get vaccinated that they can “stay at home” while those who are vaccinated should be given more freedom.

In some of the strongest comments by a business leader, in an interview on Melbourne radio 3AW, Mr McEwan urged Australians to get vaccinated.

“Let’s get on with the job,” he said.

Mr McEwan said a survey by the bank found that 80 per cent of Australians were “happy to get vaccinated.”

“Ten per cent say they’ll swing and 10 per cent say, ‘Not for me, thank you’,” he said.

“Let’s target the 80 per cent who do want to get the job done and get the vaccination into their arms,” he said.

“Then work on the 10 per cent who can be swung across.

“Then let’s open this economy up because everybody’s had a chance.

“Let’s get 90 per cent of the population vaccinated and give them freedom.

“For those that don’t want the vaccination, well they can stay at home.”

He said 90 per cent of the population wanted to “do the right thing”.

Mr McEwan’s comments come as business leaders are increasingly frustrated by the slow pace of the vaccine rollout in Australia and its social and economic implications, including an eight-week lockdown in the country’s largest city, where case numbers are soaring.

Mr McEwan said NAB was encouraging its staff to get vaccinated.

He said he was happy to open NAB buildings for people to have Covid vaccines, as it did for flu vaccinations.

“I’m happy to do it for staff and for their families as well,” he said.

He said it was “time we got some dates on” the vaccination process.

“The only way through this is to get people vaccinated,” he said.

He said NAB had about 2,500 workers at its headquarters in Melbourne before the pandemic.

It currently had fewer than 200 working in the building.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry acting chief executive Jenny Lambert said vaccinations in the workplace could start as early as September.

She said workplace vaccinations had been discussed by industry groups, major employers and the federal government as they worked together to encourage the rollout of the vaccine.

She said employers were keen to do what they could to encourage the take-up of the vaccine with many happy to give it to their staff in the same way as they gave influenza vaccinations.

“There is not enough supply at the moment for workplace vaccinations to occur,” she said.

“We are looking for it to be targeted in September.”