WA Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine for 'Most Workers'

COVID-19 vaccination is set to become mandatory for a range of new industries covering around 75 per cent of WA’s workforce.

The WA Government announced this week an overarching mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy with a phased approach to a majority of occupations and workforces within the state.

The new measures will apply to about 1.1 million WA workers.

Currently, mandates are already in place for workers in industries considered the highest risk, including those interacting with people at an increased risk of being infected or vulnerable to the virus.

The new policy strengthens these current mandates and covers the next groups of industries to be mandated, as well as a requirement for other critical workers to be vaccinated to be permitted to work in the event of a lockdown or similar restrictions.

Workers in Group 1 (high transmission risk industries, or those critical to the safety of the community) must be fully vaccinated by the end of the year. These include:

• cross-border freight workers (high and extreme risk locations only)
• public and private hospitals and public healthcare facilities
• primary and community health
• onsite resources sector workers
• border and air transport
• staff working in or entering remote Aboriginal communities
• community care services
• corrective services staff,
• police
• Fire and Emergency Services (excluding volunteers)
• abattoirs and meat processing workers

Workers in group 2 must have their first dose by December 31 and be fully vaccinated by January 31 next year. These workers are deemed critical to ongoing delivery of business and the function of the community. These include workers employed at:

• supermarkets, grocery and bakeries
• restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes
• post offices and hardware stores
• child care and family day cares
• schools
• financial institutions
• vets
• petrol stations, truck stops and roadhouses
• public and commercial transport
• hotels, motels or other accommodation facilities
• funeral or mortuary services
• building, maintenance or construction businesses

The final group must be fully vaccinated to attend work during a lockdown or similar restrictions. This includes those working in:

• Click and collect retail
• Bottle shops
• Newsagents
• Pet stores
• Wholesalers
• Critical conveyancing and settlement agents
• Roadside assistance
• Critical forestry
• Critical primary industries
• Critical factories, manufacturing, fabrication and production
• Government or local government services (where working from home is not possible)
• Some administrative services
• Vehicle and mechanical repair service
• Journalistic and media services
• Members and staff of Members of Parliament of Western Australia

Groups 1 and 2 represent approximately 60 per cent of WA’s workforce. With the addition of the lockdown group, approximately 75 per cent of the WA workforce is accounted for.

Currently 73.6 per cent of WA’s eligible population have received at least one dose, with 55.2 per cent fully vaccinated. WA’s eligible population is 12 years and over.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for more than half of WA’s workforce sets out a safe and clear framework for industries and workers.

“WA needs to be prepared for community transmission – by mandating our essential and critical workforces we can maintain services, and businesses can continue to operate safely in the long term.”

Over the coming weeks, a range of industry roundtables will be held ahead of the implementation.

“We’ll be undertaking close discussions with industries over the weeks ahead to ensure industries and workers understand the policy well ahead of the implementation phase,” said McGowan.

For more information on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in WA, visit here.