Can Employers Require COVID-19 Vaccination? Not Yet!

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Safe Work Australia (SWA) are telling employers and employees that by and large:

• employers will be unable to require vaccination by their employees.
• employees will be unable to refuse to work because a colleague is unvaccinated.

Peter McNamara says: “Employers should still be aware of public health orders could require that workers in some high-risk industries be vaccinated. There are presently no such orders.”

 

Federal Government policy is that vaccination should be voluntary. Employers should get ready to adapt their workplace policies as the vaccine rollout commences and the government, business and union positions develop.

 

The FWO guidance has some standard Q&As that are useful here.

 

The SWA guidance is here.

 

Contact Peter McNamara for advice on whether you can require our employees to be vaccinated for Covid-19.