CORONAVIRUS —
MANDATORY VACCINATION POLICY
1151. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the minister representing the
Minister for Health:
I refer to the government's
mandatory vaccination plan, and the answer to question without notice 1072
confirming that the Department of Health is responsible for compliance.
(1) Which members
of the health department will have access to the vaccination records of private
businesses and employers, and how many will have this power?
(2) Will those members be visiting
employers on site to determine compliance?
(3) If yes to (2), what legal
authority will they use to demand both entry and access to the information?
(4) Will there be any widespread or statewide need for
businesses to demonstrate compliance with the mandate to the Department
of Health?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the Leader of the
Opposition for some notice of the question. The following answer has been
provided to me by the Minister for Health.
(1) Each
vaccination direction issued under the Public Health Act 2016 provides that an
employer, owner, occupier or person
apparently in charge of a workplace is to provide evidence of the employee's
vaccination status when requested to do so by an emergency officer
appointed under that act, and 59 people from the Department of Health have been
appointed for this purpose.
(2) Spot checks for compliance are
carried out at the request of the Chief Health Officer.
(3) Emergency
officers are appointed under part 12, division 4, section 174(2) of the act. In
respect of the vaccination directions, they are authorised to direct an
employer to provide evidence of vaccination of each worker or provide proof of
an exemption from vaccination provided by the Australian Immunisation Register or
the Chief Health Officer.
(4) If noncompliance is suspected,
or as requested by the Chief Health Officer.