Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with the Chamber of Commerce's Nicole Walsh about how businesses are dealing with the new rules around vaccinated workers

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Katie spoke with the Chamber of Commerce's Nicole Walsh about how businesses are dealing with the new rules around vaccinated workers · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Think we've got Nicole Walsh from the Chamber of Commerce
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: with us this morning. Good morning to you, Nicole, Good morning, Yeah,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: very well, thank you so very much for your time, Nicole.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: From your perspective, how did that mandate rollout go on
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: the weekend for our businesses around the territory.
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  Speaker 2: We've done quite a bit of a check in over
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: the weekend with a number of different members and other
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: contact works that we have. We definitely have seen as
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: been pockets of industry that's been impacted. But as far
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: as the feedback, what we're getting so far from our
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  Speaker 2: members is that the impact perhaps hasn't been as what
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: it was maybe expected or not feared, but you expect
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: it to be, which has been really good.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. We heard from Master Builders at a guest between
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: seven and ten percent remain unvaccinated, Hospitality and tea saying
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: more like between zero and five percent. Do we have
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: any idea from the Chamber's perspective with those percentages? Sport
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  Speaker 1: number it could be.
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  Speaker 2: We don't have a number I know in the past
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  Speaker 2: that we've we've certainly seen with some of the web
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  Speaker 2: cloculation information that we've done it's around.
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  Speaker 3: Four percent, but not yet we've been a very broad
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  Speaker 3: mix across all industries at the moment. We did our
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  Speaker 3: survey last week which was interesting.
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  Speaker 2: We had the results from there talking about how and
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  Speaker 2: what sort of frame that businesses were expected to deal
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  Speaker 2: with this. But at the moment we're just collecting information
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  Speaker 2: because again it's such it's got such a broad rage
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  Speaker 2: industries across all regions as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and Nicole, have you seen any sort of businesses
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  Speaker 1: decide to close or shut shop because of the mandate?
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  Speaker 3: Not that we're seen.
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  Speaker 2: I was definitely hearing that there's been so again in
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  Speaker 2: some particular senses where people have lost considerable stuff perhaps
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: you know, perhaps people from overseas or visiting they're not
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: visiting now people from overseas, but not as much.
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: We've sort of people.
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  Speaker 2: Are saying, look, a lot of people that were unvaccinated
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  Speaker 2: staff members have decided at the end to get that
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  Speaker 2: at full on that Thursday and Friday. They're definitely pockets
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: that generally, not overall.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: And I know we spoke to a businessman last week
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  Speaker 1: who had said that there were you know, potentially hundreds
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: of businesses who had met and who had spoken about
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: their concerns around the vaccine mandate. I mean, are you
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: sort of still hearing concerns from different businesses.
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  Speaker 2: There's definitely, there's definitely concerned. I mean for many the reasons.
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  Speaker 2: And we did the survey last week. We're over sixty
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  Speaker 2: percent supported the vaccination. The principal, the manager that joseholsla
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  Speaker 2: are and principle and they understand it and they put
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  Speaker 2: it that need and understand need to get on with it.
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  Speaker 3: Doesn't mean they.
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  Speaker 2: Don't have concerns, No, it doesn't either both of some
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  Speaker 2: it's about them as an.
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  Speaker 3: Employer and their responsibilities.
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  Speaker 2: And just making sure they're covered. And then other people
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  Speaker 2: in our surveys indicated different reasons, whether it be for
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: you know, personal or the lack of choices in an
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  Speaker 2: issue as well. But generally people understand it's something we
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  Speaker 2: and business that we need to get on and get
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  Speaker 2: on what's doing now.
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  Speaker 1: I know there was quite a bit of discussion some
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  Speaker 1: angry people over the weekend upon learning that public servants
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  Speaker 1: who refused to get the vaccination wouldn't be stood all,
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: they'd be stood down, but in some cases still continue
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: to receive full pay. What was the reaction from the
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Chambers perspective on this one.
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: We did see something.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: Over the week and then we've actually written to the
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  Speaker 2: Chief Minister's Office just to get clarification on that one
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  Speaker 2: as well. So we'll wait until that comes back and
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: we'll keep definitely keep our members updated on that one. Obviously,
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  Speaker 2: you know, we speak and where we're on behalf of
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  Speaker 2: our members.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I know, well, we have heard back from
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  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister's Office this morning. They said that there
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  Speaker 1: was that forty eight hour grace period. That's something that
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  Speaker 1: is obviously part of the public service pay and conditions.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: But the reality of it is I think that they're
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  Speaker 1: going to have to show cause by five pm this afternoon,
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  Speaker 1: is my understanding with those public servants. So I know
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  Speaker 1: that you know that it was a worry over the
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  Speaker 1: weekend wondering why it was one set of rules for
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  Speaker 1: you know, for public servants and one set of rules
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  Speaker 1: for businesses. But hopefully it does mean that there's that
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: further clarity.
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  Speaker 2: Now, absolutely, and you know from business take with absolutely
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  Speaker 2: that kind.
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  Speaker 3: Of clarity has definitely been sought by the Chamber of
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  Speaker 3: Commerce as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I haven't had a chance to see the front page
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  Speaker 2: to the paper yet, but absolutely.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not too sure. Yeah, I don't know exactly
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  Speaker 1: what the what the paper's saying about it this morning,
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  Speaker 1: but but yeah, we've spoken to to the Chief Minister's
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: office this morning and did just get that bit of clarity. Anyway, Nicole,
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  Speaker 1: it does sound as though it's probably not been as
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  Speaker 1: big an impact over the weekend as what some were expecting.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Again it's again just different pockets people with different
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: different industries and not even in dependence that we're in
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  Speaker 2: different industries for different regions and so forth. I think
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  Speaker 2: the role that will come this week people would be
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: up personally thing some people that have said have pleased
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  Speaker 2: to employment. But again everything thanks gone along pretty well
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  Speaker 2: as well for a number of businesses is which is ill.
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  Speaker 1: Well, let us know how it all goes throughout the week.
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  Speaker 1: But we appreciate your time this morning, Nicole Walsh, the
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  Speaker 1: Chief Operating Officer for the Chamber of Commerce, thanks so
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  Speaker 1: much for having a chat with us.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: Great, thank you, thank you.