Covid leave just the tonic
WHEN catastrophe hits, it’s time to prioritise the greater good. During the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve done that over and over again. We’ve endured greater government controls and police powers. We’ve surrendered our everyday rights and millions of us even downloaded a government tracking app.
As citizens we did all of the above — and more — because we ultimately believed we would play our part in stopping the spread of coronavirus and therefore save lives.
The government drew a line through its budget and totalled the economy — all for the greater good.
And now Victorians have had to do it for a second time. Residents there are facing the strictest lockdown conditions in history.
The financial impact of the second wave will drive unemployment into double digits and be a 2.5 per cent blow to GDP in the next three months.
But with Australia’s death toll at 255 and climbing daily, the lockdowns are considered the lesser of the two evils.
Here in Tasmania, we’ve talked at length about Premier Peter Gutwein’s tough border stance designed to ensure we don’t see another outbreak like the one we witnessed in the state’s North-West.
We know all too well how quickly the virus can spread. It’s within that context that we need to consider paid pandemic leave.
THESE ARE ABSOLUTELY THE TYPES OF SAFEGUARDS THAT WE HAVE TO PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE EVERYONE IS ABLE TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND SELF-ISOLATE SHOULD THEY THINK THEY NEED TO.
Paying people to stay at home goes against the fundamental beliefs of hardworking Australians.
The cynics among us know that there will be those who rort the system and happily take a few days without realising that ultimately the taxpayers will be left to foot the bill.
However these are indeed extraordinary times. In yesterday’s Mercury we reported that Regis Aged Care, which operates three facilities in Tasmania, had not adopted paid pandemic leave as part of Fair Work’s recent changes.
The company said the award variations didn’t impact its enterprise agreements but the staff are up in arms.
Here’s the thing.
The vast majority of workers in this country believe in earning an honest living.
And despite all our hard work, few of us would not feel financial strain if we were to lose a day, a week or two weeks of work. For some people, losing that wage can push them to the brink.
That leaves them with a couple of options: go to work with a sniffle or stay home and worry about how to pay their next bill. That’s exactly how outbreaks happen.
The government’s emergency relief fund, which includes $250 one-off payments, is a welcome one, as is the federal government’s one-off $1500 pandemic leave payment.
These are absolutely the types of safeguards that we have to put in place to ensure everyone is able to do the right thing and self-isolate should they think they need to.