SA agencies ponder vax mandate extensions
Government agencies including SA Health and the Education Department are considering what legislative levers they can pull to maintain their COVID-19 vaccine mandates once the major emergency declaration ends, state coordinator Grant Stevens says.
Police Commissioner and state coordinator Grant Stevens. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily
The police commissioner told reporters yesterday afternoon that vaccine mandates issued under South Australia’s Emergency Management Act would become “void” once the legislation lapses – potentially as soon as next month.
He said SA Police was liaising with government agencies such as SA Health and the Education Department to figure out how they could maintain their workplace vaccine mandates once the major emergency declaration ends.
“The reality is that when the declaration ceases – when it’s either revoked or is not extended – all of the directions that are issued under that declaration become void,” he said.
“If there is a workforce or a sector within the South Australian community that believes it’s necessary for their employees to be vaccinated, they’ll have to consider what other options are available to them – whether it be a management direction or industrial laws, or work health and safety legislation.
“It won’t be under a direction issued under the Emergency Management Act.”
Asked if that work was underway by agencies such as SA Health or the Department for Education, Stevens said: “I would expect so, yes”.
“My team is liaising with different sectors that are utilising mandates for their workforce at this point in time and that work is ongoing.”
It comes as the number of new COVID-19 infections in South Australia yesterday spiked to 2075 – the highest number since January 26, when 2401 cases were reported.
A man in his 50s and a man in his 70s who tested positive for COVID-19 died, while the number of people in hospital increased to 112 – 64 of whom were fully vaccinated.
Stevens said authorities were “closely watching” COVID-19 hospitalisation and case numbers to determine when to lift the emergency management declaration.
He said he recommended a further 28-day extension to the declaration, which would allow him to exercise powers during the state election so that those in quarantine could vote.
“This is a live consideration for us in relation to when the appropriate time will be to lift that major emergency declaration (but) I don’t think that time is now,” he said.
“It’s possible that this current application for an extension may be the last one, but we’ll have to assess the circumstances as we move through the next 28-day period.”
