National cabinet eyes end to Covid isolation

Business and industry groups are urging national cabinet to ­develop a timeline for removing mandatory Covid-19 isolation ­requirements entirely.

Anthony Albanese in Sydney on Wednesday. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Business and industry groups are urging national cabinet to ­develop a timeline for removing mandatory Covid-19 isolation ­requirements entirely, as political leaders agreed Australians would have access to paid pandemic leave for as long as they’re forced to isolate.

Anthony Albanese said nat­ional cabinet would consider whether to ease the five-day isolation restrictions when it next meets on September 30, amid a gradual move for Covid-19 to be “treated like other health issues”.

“We will have another discussion in September as to a pathway towards whether a decision is made about further reductions or a timeframe for it,” the Prime Minister said.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said the quicker the country could move to “safely scrapping Covid rules altogether the better”, while Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra said a timeline needed to be developed for when that would occur.

“At the end of the day, people have to take responsibility for their own health. If you’re sick, stay at home – but if you’re well, you should be free to go about your business,” he said.

Mr Albanese announced pandemic leave payments, which are jointly funded by the federal and state governments and have cost more than $2.2bn since the start of Covid-19, would be extended beyond the scheduled end date of September 30 for as long as mandatory isolation applied.

The payments are worth up to $540 for a person who loses income and can’t work for five days, while a person forced to isolate for seven days who works in a high-risk setting can receive up to $750.

In a bid to crackdown on rorting, people will be able to claim for the payments only three times in six months unless there are “quite extraordinary circumstances”.

Since July 20, 2.6 per cent of all claims triggered fraud checks. More than half of those were rejected and around 15 per cent were subsequently withdrawn by the claimant.

“Services Australia data indicates, also, that over the six months to June 30, 2022, 60 per cent of claims were made by individuals who claimed more than once,” Mr Albanese said. “Of these, about 13 per cent were claimed four or more times. That is a claim every 6½ weeks or more.”

The union movement hailed the ongoing paid pandemic leave extension but was concerned for the healthcare system and workers outside of high-risk settings who remained symptomatic on days six and seven. A person must remain in isolation beyond day five if symptomatic.

Government sources confirmed those people must provide a medical certificate to reclaim the payment after five days.

They could then get another five-day payment, covering a total of 10 days.

“We have concerns about the availability of bulk-billing telehealth appointments along with the additional strain the requirement for a doctor’s certificate will place on the healthcare system, which is already under incredible pressure,” ACTU assistant secretary Liam O’Brien said.

Restaurant and Catering chief executive Belinda Clarke said moving from seven to five days of mandatory isolation was a step in the right direction but if health advice suggested it could be scrapped altogether, “that would be welcomed by the industry”.