How MANDATORY vaccines are now a step closer across Australia amid fears Indian Delta strain is putting young people at risk after 44 kids tested positive to Covid in ONE DAY - including 7 at an infected school
Mandatory Covid vaccines for some Australian workers are a step closer after the county's industrial watchdog handed down legal guidance saying it would be 'lawful and reasonable' for businesses in hotspots to compel staff to get the jab.
Australia's Fair Work Ombudsman on Thursday evening unveiled a four-tier system on the controversial issue to provide more clarity on what the rights of bosses and employees are.
Many in the business world have been calling for the ability to make Covid vaccines a requirement of employment, as the Indian Delta outbreak continues to spread across Australia leaving millions living under stay-at-home orders.
One of the most worrying hallmarks of the current outbreak is that the mutated virus is infecting a significant number of children, with 44 kids under the age of nine struck down in just one day in NSW.
A special needs school in Sydney's north was the latest hit with a flurry of cases, leaving seven vulnerable children with autism infected, along with three of their teachers and eight family members.
Sydneysiders have been told gruelling lockdowns can end if enough people are vaccinated, with more incentives to do so slowly being put in place (pictured, a woman in Sydney's CBD on Thursday)
Mandatory Covid vaccines for some Australian workers are a step closer after the county's industrial watchdog handed down legal guidance (pictured, a woman being vaccinated at the new drive-through Covid-19 vaccination centre in Melbourne)
What are the four tiers of work that could decide if YOU need to get a vaccine if your boss says so?
Guidance from the the Fair Work Ombudsman states it would be 'lawful and reasonable' for tier one and two workers to be compelled by their employers to get the jab.
For workers in tier three, such as supermarkets, and tier four where there is little face-to-face contact with the public, workers may have greater recourse to protest or take legal action against mandatory vaccinations.
However, in the case of a large outbreak, the employer's request is 'more likely to be reasonable'.
Tier 1 work, where employees are required as part of their duties to interact with people with an increased risk of being infected with coronavirus (for example, employees working in hotel quarantine or border control).
Tier 2 work, where employees are required to have close contact with people who are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of coronavirus (for example, employees working in health care or aged care).
Tier 3 work, where there is interaction or likely interaction between employees and other people such as customers, other employees or the public in the normal course of employment (for example, stores providing essential goods and services).
Tier 4 work, where employees have minimal face-to-face interaction as part of their normal employment duties (for example, where they are working from home).
Fair Work Ombudsman guidance states:
'Regardless of the tier or tiers which may apply to work performed by employees, the question of whether a direction is reasonable will always be fact dependent and needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.'
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With children under the age of 16 having no access to vaccinations in Australia unless in exceptional circumstances, they made up more than one-third of cases in the last fortnight.
This includes 70 cases in those ages 10-19 on Thursday, with 400 youngsters infected in the past week, including 44 kids under nine in a single day.
While kids are far less likely to become seriously ill or suffer fatal complications, they can still become sick with their bodies deteriorating quickly.
Dr Stephen Warrillow, an intensive care specialist, said the rising number of cases in under 30s was a result of young people not having opportunities to be vaccinated.
Of the 62 people in intensive care in NSW on Thursday, three are in their 20s and seven are in their 30s,
'Essentially, this is a virus of the unvaccinated,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Evidence the virus is spreading among kids is seen in the worrying outbreak at Giant Steps in Gladesville, which has about 80 students from kindergarten to young adults, many of whom suffer from severe autism.
Autism Awareness Australia chief executive Nicole Rogerson said the school has remained open during Greater Sydney's lockdown as it would be 'too confusing' for the vulnerable students to remain in isolation.
A woman carries a computer monitor in order to work from home in Canberra on Thursday, with a shock outbreak plunging the ACT into an unexpected lockdown
Businesses have called for the ability to make Covid vaccines a requirement of employment, as the Indian Delta outbreak continues to spread across Australia leaving millions living under stay-at-home orders (pictured, a worker at Sydney's Moore Park on Thursday)
'A lot of these children, a lot of the students, wouldn't understand what Covid is, what a pandemic is, or social distancing,' she told the the Daily Telegraph.
'At this point, the fallout is managing these kids in isolation at the moment, that's all anyone is thinking about.
'They need to keep them safe from themselves and keep their families safe when they don't understand what happened.'
A teacher at the school is thought to have ignited the cluster which has now climbed to 18.
Mrs Rogerson took aim at the federal government for not prioritising jabs for those with severe disabilities, pointing out that Year 12 students at St Joseph's College - a $35,000 a year private school in the same area - have all received vaccinations.
Giant Steps, a special needs school in Sydney's north was the latest hit with a flurry of cases, leaving seven vulnerable children with autism infected, along with three of their teachers and eight family members
Workers carry computer monitors in order to work from home in Canberra on Thursday, as Australia's capital was ordered into a seven-day lockdown after a single Covid-19 case was detected. Three more have since been found
'The federal government stuffed the vaccine rollout so badly and now we are having a conversation about these children, some of the most vulnerable, in a Covid cluster,' she said.
Although the embattled Morrison government has ruled out legislating mandatory vaccinations for workers, unless they are in front line professions like hotel quarantine, healthcare and aged care facilities, the Fair Work Ombudsman advised that bosses may have room to move on the sensitive issue.
The new tiered system states that it would be 'lawful and reasonable' for tier one and two workers to be compelled by their employers to get the jab.
Tier one and two jobs include critical roles where there is a high risk of Covid transmission.
For workers in tier three, such as supermarkets, and tier four where there is little face-to-face contact with the public, workers may have greater recourse to protest or take legal action against mandatory vaccinations.
Sydney is entering its seventh week of lockdown (pictured, a quiet Central Station is patrolled by police on Thursday night)
Giant Steps in Gladesville has about 80 students from kindergarten to young adults who suffer from severe autism
Parents are seen collecting their kids from St Charles' Primary School in Waverely after an outbreak hit the school with more children now becoming infected across NSW
However, in the case of a large outbreak, the employer's request is 'more likely to be reasonable'.
'Regardless of the tier or tiers which may apply to work performed by employees, the question of whether a direction is reasonable will always be fact dependent and needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis,' the guidance from the Fair Work Ombudsman said.
Federal Industrial Relations Minister Michaelia Cash said the updated advice will help Australia emerge from its relentless cycle of lockdowns.
'It is important that both employers and employees continue to work together to get vaccinated as soon as possible,' Senator Cash said.
'This will benefit not only our workplaces, but help our nation return to normal as soon as possible.'
Autism Awareness Australia chief executive Nicole Rogerson took aim at the federal government for not prioritising jabs for those with severe disabilities, pointing out that Year 12 students at St Joseph's College - a $35,000 a year private school in the same area as the infected school - have all received vaccinations
Federal Industrial Relations Minister Michaelia Cash said the updated advice will help Australia emerge from its relentless cycle of lockdowns
But while policymakers and health officials continue to debate the controversial subject, one food producer has taken matters into its own hands.
Canned fruit and vegetable processor SPC announced on Thursday it will ban its employees from the workplace unless they get booked in to be vaccinated against Covid-19 within six weeks.
All of its 450 on-site employees where given the ultimatum at the company's factory in Shepperton in regional Victoria and must now schedule their first dose before September 15.
By the end of November all of them must be double-jabbed.
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie praised SPC for 'having the guts' to make vaccinations mandatory for its staff.
Canned fruit and vegetable processor SPC announced on Thursday it had given all of its 450 on-site employees until September 15 to schedule their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine (pictured, the SPC factory in Shepparton in central Victoria)
For workers in tier three, such as supermarkets, and tier four where there is little face-to-face contact with the public, workers may have greater recourse to protest or take legal action against mandatory vaccinations (pictured, a year 12 HSC student being vaccinated at Qudos Arena in Sydney)
'The last thing we need is for food suppliers, which are so crucial, to be shutting down,' she told the Today show on Thursday morning.
'I applaud them, having the guts to come out and do that.'
SPC's edict followed tech giant Microsoft announcing all employees must show proof of vaccination before entering its US offices from September.
SPC is Australia's primary producer of packaged fruit and its brands include Ardmona, Goulburn Valley, SPC, ProVital, Kuisine, and PomLife.
Chairman Hussein Rifai said the emergence of the highly contagious Delta variant prompted the move - which is a first in Australia for non-health-related businesses.
'Lockdowns are not a sustainable solution and the Australian economy needs to open up again,' he said.
Cleaners are seen at Bondi Beach Public School on Tuesday with more and more young Australians becoming infected with the virus
'The Delta variant poses a significant threat to our people, our customers and the communities we serve.
'The only path forward for our country is through vaccination.'
SPC Chairman Hussein Rifai said the emergence of the highly-contagious Delta variant had prompted the move - which is a first in Australia for non-health-related businesses
All SPC workers will be offered paid time off to get their vaccinations.
'It’s not a matter of opinion. This is science. Vaccines work,' he told The Australian.
Staff will also get special paid leave of up to two days if they become unwell after vaccination.
SPC noted there might be some workers with a pre-existing condition who are unable to be vaccinated and their circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
SPC chief executive Robert Giles said the company was setting an example for others.
'Australian companies must go further by rapidly vaccinating their staff,' he said.
'By taking proactive steps now, we are shoring up our company for the future.
'We firmly believe that it will be manufacturers and innovators like SPC who will help drive Australia's post-Covid economic recovery.'
The ACT was also plunged into a seven-day lockdown on Thursday afternoon, with 80 per cent of neighbouring NSW also living under restrictions.
All staff and contractors at the company's factory in Shepparton in regional Victoria must be fully vaccinated by the end of November