Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Greg Ireland from the Chamber of Commerce about Friday's vaccine mandate deadline

Transcript

Katie spoke with Greg Ireland from the Chamber of Commerce about Friday's vaccine mandate deadline · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And joining us on the line right now is the
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Ireland.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you.
• 0:06
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. Another busy morning.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Huh, I'm always busy in here Greg.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Now now, firstly, obviously we've just been on the phone
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: to Tony Innes about this check in situation for a
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: lot of our businesses around the top end, and you know,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Tony certainly copped it on the chin, that is that
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: the Nuna Mar Tavern could have done more, obviously to
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: make sure that people were checking in as a result
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: of this latest COVID situation that we're in, mate, is
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: it quite difficult for some of our businesses at the
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: moment to make sure that they've got somebody who's checking
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: that everybody's checking in.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Or should it come down to personal responsibility?
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Look, I think under the current scenario it's pretty
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: important that the business does as much as practically possible
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: to get people to check in and confirm their vaccination
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: status as requested by the Chief Minister. But ultimately it
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: is a community responsibility to a bideline the requirements and
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: we're personally looking forward to the app being linked with
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: your vaccination status to kill two birds with one Stone
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: in that regard, do we know how far off.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: We are from that?
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: I know that we'd spoken to Services Australia last week
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: and they said that there was work still underway, but
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: do you know if we're far away from getting there
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: and those two things being linked.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: Look, I don't have a definitive answer to that, but
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: I'm led to believe it's actually working interstate and these
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: apps are quite common across the country, So I think
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: it's an implementation phase and the intention is to have
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: it up and running before the twelfth.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: Excellent. Well, I do think that'll help you.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: I reckon it'll just be helpful to be able to
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: have it all linked on there when you check in,
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: people know then, so that you don't end up in
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: that situation where staff members are sort of having to
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: ask correct.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: It'll take a lot of the onus off the business
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: and allow them to get back onto what they do best,
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: and hopefully it's making good copy or a great sandwich.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: How has the latest lockdown or lock out, I suppose
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: you'd say, how has it been impacted or received from businesses?
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: From the Chambers perspective.
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: Well, it certainly has created some additional workload on business
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: the vaccination and people as they progress from unvaccinated to
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: first vaccination and so forth, it has walked forward the
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: impact on the single vaccinated people. So we understand the
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: number of industries have had significantly reduced attendance and that
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: has a flow on effect. If you're not confident all
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: your workforce is going to be there, then how do
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: you invest in some of those key areas such as
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: a concrete poor and as in a building site. If
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: you don't have the labor there, you can't actually undertake
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: the work. So that has had some flow on effects.
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: But the majority of businesses have stepped up to the
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: plate and just got on with what needs to be
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: done in.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: Terms of that mandate kicking in on Friday. From the
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: Chamber of Commerce perspectives, how our businesses feeling. Are they
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: concerned or are they feeling quite sort of satisfied at
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: this point in time that their staff are going to
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: be vaccinated.
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: Going There's varying levels to that, Katie, but most businesses
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: are prepared and fully aware of what's going on. From
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: a membership perspective, we've been communicating with all of our
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: members regularly, just keeping them informed on what those requirements
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: are going to be dealing with any specific queries that
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: they may have. Our phones have been running pretty hot
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: just making sure that people understand exactly what's needed. I
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: think we're in a good understanding position for the twelfth
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: and then how that progresses through from there is just
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: hopefully going to remain an orderly process.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: So at this point, do you have sort of any
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: businesses who are saying, oh, you know, my workforce is
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: going to be decreased because we're losing staff they're not
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: prepared to get vaccinated.
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: We are hearing that that is in the minority, but
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: there are people coming to see us and ringing regularly
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: to say that they're going to be impacted by this.
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: It's a situation is very, very difficult to manage because
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: it is a mandated requirement too effectively becomes law and
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: the business needs to comply with So that is always
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: going to remain a personal decision for those individuals, and
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: the impact is going to fly into business and they
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: really can't be helped at this point. That said, we're
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: encouraging businesses to accommodate people where they can in flexible
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: working environments, but where that's not possible, it just has
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: to be what it has to be.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: I know that we've been contacted by some listeners saying
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: that there have been exemptions for some businesses around the
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory. One of those is apparently on a building side.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Are you aware of any businesses being able to sort
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: of seek exemptions to not have all of their staff
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: vaccinated at this point? Is that even able to happen.
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: I'm unaware of that requirement or that capability at all, Kadie.
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: I suspect there may be some confusion. There's a requirement
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: in some cases for one hundred percent compliance to award
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: government contracts. Yes, that does have some exemptions if certain
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: workers are nable to be accommodated and won't have any
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: potential infection capability through their work that they undertake, So
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: there is some room to move around that. But apart
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: from that, the individuals, as far as I'm aware, have
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: to comply.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: Greg. Is there any update in terms of those government
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: contracts at this point. I know that when we caught
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: up with the Chief Minister about two weeks ago, he
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: had said that it was going to come into play,
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: but I haven't heard any further announcements. Are you aware
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: whether it has indeed gone ahead or not.
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: No, I'm unaware of again any release. It's just still
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: in concept stage and being talked about us aspect that
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: it's coming, and that's where some of those discussions have
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: emanated as part of the criteria that's about to be
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: released as we understand it.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: So, greg from your perspective, come sort of Friday or
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: I guess Friday is the last day for people to
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: actually to get that vaccine and then by Saturday all
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: of those outward facing jobs realistically need to have adhered
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: to that mandate. From your perspective, are we going to
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: see a huge impact on the business community, Well.
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: We should see an improvement in the situation from what
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: we've got now, Katie. So under the lockout, if your
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: single vaccinated, you can't participate. However, post Friday you can participate.
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: So as long as we are out of this particular
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: lockout scenario, we're going to see an improvement on the
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: situation as it stands today. However, it is not necessarily
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: as good as what it has been in the past.
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: So we still think that the people that aren't vaccinat
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: are going to be in the minority, and hopefully the
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: back rays that we've seen over the last few days
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: will continue.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: And so you're not expecting to see any Northern Territory
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: businesses close as a result.
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: I suspect that there may be some that have adverse
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: outcomes as a result, but it's very difficult to map
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: that out. We hope that that's not the case, but
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: I think it is going to challenge some areas for sure.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: Well, it is always good to catch up with you.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Ireland, thank you so very
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: much for your time this morning.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: You're welcome, Katie, thank you