Jun 28, 2021

Vaccinations to be mandatory for aged care workers

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the decision was made at the National Cabinet meeting between state and territory leaders, with the decision to make it mandatory for all aged care workers to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by September.

It is likely to be done using the same system used for mandatory flu vaccines for the same workers.

It’s the third time mandating vaccines for that workforce has been discussed by the meeting of the nation’s leaders. 

“This is something we wanted to see and so tonight we received the advice that would enable us to go forward with that measure,” Mr Morrison said.

Speaking at an evening press conference, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it would come with an $11 million grant to aged care facilities to provide leave for staff if needed in relation to their vaccination. That leave can include situations where a person may experience some discomfort following a vaccination, Mr Morrison said.

Given most of Australia’s almost 1000 virus-related deaths have been in aged care homes, providing safeguards to further protect our elderly remains a priority.

What do you think about the government’s decision to make it mandatory for all aged care workers to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by September? Share your thoughts with us below. 

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  1. You keep wanting from us but you never give. How about you pay us our worth and give us some serious bloody credit for the had work we do.
    I have no problem being vaccinated and I am fully to protect my residents and me but give us something for a change.

    1. Lots of comments from “carers” about freedom of choice,my body,my decision etc.

      Have you forgotten what your title really means? Carer.. to deliver safe and meaningful care to vulnerable residents.
      You create a risk to residents if you don’t vaccinate and that is absolutely contrary to being a carer.
      Have the vaccination, keep residents safe or find another job.
      Imagine if we had this “my body” rubbish when polio, measles, tuberculosis, rubella etc.

      The fair work authority has already supported termination of employment for failure to vaccinate based on employer policy. Now it’s mandatory.
      Remember what the job is.

      1. I agree but residents themselves have the choice to be vaccinated or not. Visitors to aged care will not be forced to be vaccinated. I as a pregnant women, and allied health worker in aged care am terrified to get the vaccine.

  2. Its not possible to achieve this as some dont want to get vaccinated and others can navigate the booking systems, get to a hospital hub and then download the certifcates of proof. Clinics in each aged care home, like the residents had, would achieve about 80% of staff. Thats whats needed, not a rule that cant be delivered.

  3. Mr Morrison wants has he ever asked the workers what they want. How about a better pay support workers work dam hard for little wages kids in McDonald’s Donald’s get better wages then us

  4. They should have included the workers when the residents were vaccinated. Instead we were told to get it organised ourselves. Shame on you Federal government. Look after the people who look after the elderly for you at such ridiculous pay rates. Come and work a shift or two and open your eyes to what we deal with daily.

  5. I was very happy to receive the Covid vaccination to protect my family and friends and of course my aged care residents and myself.
    I am all for the vaccination as I hope one day soon to be able to travel to England to visit my 98 year old mother in law.
    We were advised we would receive our vaccinations at work in the Hunter Valley NSW in mid June by the same contractors who had attended our residents earlier in the year.
    When no news came re staff vaccinations towards end June I decided to have my vaccination at GP surgery with my husband
    We then received notification at work late June that the contractors would NOT be attending vaccinations at work so now all the other 140 staff have to make there own arrangements at GP or Hub clinics
    This is totally unsatisfactory. We should have been offered our vaccinations much earlier like QLD where my mothers aged care home and staff received the first vaccinations administered in the state.
    Being over 60 I had the AstraZeneca jab
    My sister also 61 walked into the local clinic on the Gold Coast and had the Pfizer jab without any questions.
    Yes the vaccination roll out has been disgraceful and I hope this does not lead to a full blown disaster for Australians.

  6. I worked in aged care my whole working life but with this mandate I may as well start looking for another job. I am NOT an anti vaxer and have always kept both my family and myself up with vaccines but this covid vaccine is to rushed and the government doesn’t even know about the short term effects let alone the long term effects, and I will not be someone’s guinea pig for them to come out in a few years and say “oh sorry we stuffed up”. The new standards in aged care give the power back to the residents and encourage them to have a voice and empower them to make to make their own choices about the care they receive but where is my right my choice to choose what i put into my body. I have always had the residents best interests at heart but this time I also need to look out for myself. My human right is my right to choice and you can not take that away from us.

    1. Hi Concerned Worker,

      I too have worked in the Aged Care Industry for many years, however if I am forced to have the Covid vaccination I will be forced to leave. I refuse to be told what drugs will be injected into my body without proof of the side effects in years (& generations) to follow.

      Its a definite NO from me.

    2. It is a pretense to care about the aged care industry which has been in crisis for decades. Health professionals are asking for indemnity for these “Vaccines” but nobody will be there to look after those people and care workers who end up with any type of health complication as a result. He has a pension for life so is not worried and we are dispensable guinea pigs needed for his re-election progress.

    3. Absolutely agree!
      Those who are at risk sure go ahead & get the vaccine protect yourself.
      We all should have a choice it’s our human right! Not only is it forcing carers, what about family members & friends who won’t be able to visit their loved ones if they themselves are not vaccinated? They did it with the flu shot!! 🤦🤦

  7. Will there be any exemptions?…there are for fluvax….
    What about this covid vax…..after all it’s a clinical trial
    is it not?……no indemnity …ie….no one but yourself is liable
    if you get hurt in any way….eg stroke…blood clots…..etc….
    OR IF YOU DIE!…….
    No life insurance is liable either….
    No hospital insurance is liable either because it’s a clinical trial!
    Once you sign that form ….giving your informed consent…..
    You have also signed away all indemnities….
    My valid question to the Prime Minister……
    Why don’t the pharmaceutical companies have to pay damages
    for vaccine injury or death by vaccine?
    Prime Minister….you allowed this……no indemnity for the pharmaceutical companies for vaccinations?…….
    Why?……are the Australian people animals?
    NO WE ARE NOT!

    1. Totally agree Elvira!
      Why a perfectly healthy person that did not even had a head flu last year need a vaccine? It is the same of saying “Ok you have a chance of having cancer in your lifetime, so start Chemo now”

      1. I have never had the Flu vac until 2020 when it became mandatory for carers!!
        I didn’t enjoy being ‘held over a barrel’ so to speak….no shot no job!!
        How the world has changed…we need to fight for the rights we have!!

  8. This is a good idea but like all good ideas it will have to be resourced and supported by policy. Unfortunately this has not been the case to date. You cannot provide safe nursing care without safe nursing work and one of the ingredients of safe nursing work is vaccination. Aged care work is notoriously low paid and insecure with high rates of churn. There is a shortage of Aged Care workers willing to work extremely hard for low pay so if they decide as a group not to come to work this idea will be hard to enforce.

  9. The hypocrisy that aged care staff were not provided with in house vaccinations like other health care staff earlier this year is very telling of the second class treatment this cohort of workers receives. Now unlike other health care staff we are legally mandated to have a vaccination. Please start providing for aged care staff with respect and equality

  10. Would like to see data on reactions had and timeframe of those reactions including total dead from vaccination in any push for vaccination. Would think it irresponsible of any organization to not present all the facts when mandating an uproven dangerous Vacination just because they rely on government funding.
    Im for Peoples Health First
    Not money as Aged care facilities say. (Told first hand)
    We rely on funding and cannot go against the Government.
    When are people going to come first. By the way any Aged care resident has the freedom to choose vaccination or not So why cannot the workers of Aged Care?

  11. Mandatory.
    ‘It is likely to be done using the same system used for mandatory flu vaccines for the same workers’.

    If the ACQ&SC is involved in this process it will be a complete and utter debacle.
    The AC Royal Commission reported negligence and abuse in residential aged care facilities.
    The ACQ&SC was/is charged with the responsibility to ensure the vulnerable are protected – they fail.

  12. It is about bloody time! Initially all aged care staff were to be vaccinated together with residents; then policy changed and vaccination was only available if there were excess doses.
    Now we are chasing our tails to try and cover the staff who were always the people out and about in the community and more likely to bring it in to the residents.
    Continued Government stuff ups.

  13. I am all
    For mandatory vaccination as I do
    Not see why flu vaccination is but COVID is not. One concern I have is for staff I work with who are
    Pregnant and are not comfortable with the information available on receiving the jan while pregnant. The other side is they cannot work if nit vaccinated.

  14. I don’t agree with this decision .No-one should be forced to put these experimental vaccines into their body. What happens if one of these workers dies from these vaccines. Nobody has thought of this.

    w

  15. If its getting mandatory for health worker… For those who working in aged care, If someone is getting sick after getting vaccination, do the government can pay them for their sickness period???

  16. I think there are many vaccine skeptics who work in the sector who will rethink their future. I won’t be forced to have a vaccine I have little confidence in

  17. Making the Covid vaccine mandatory is no guarantee that we will not contract Covid 19.
    Furthermore, with the growing concern regarding the side effects of the vaccine, I can only imagine the number of staff that will leave the sector should the vaccine be mandatory, will be inevitable.
    I have made an informed choice not to have the vaccine so, making it mandatory will restrict me from continuing to work in the sector – thus, my clients will suffer.
    I’m not in favour of being constantly told what to do by governments. Our lives are governed by so many rules and regulations, the onus of common sense has disappeared.

  18. I’ve been concidering learning and entering into the aged care sector from labouring & personally the Covid jab Mandate is a deterrent, so i can’t help but wonder how other potential trainees/volunteers feel about it.

    I’m not a smart cookie—-but what i hear from the for/against vaccinations from those who at least claim/appear to be qualified, the reasons against vaccination rings truer to me.
    Even the behaviour difference between the way individuals for vs against is, i find notable.

    Relating to the shortcut vaccine, from a different context an engineer said “the rules are written in blood”. . . and i can only guess that the history books are full of examples in medicine and big pharma.

    I am more interested in therapeutics, and how/if they are implemented currently (even unofficially). Even more so because the picture i have from comments is, the pressure is “sick or not, you need to come in for work”. (couldn’t find anything on hellocare search results)

  19. I’m not sure about this as it states under the Commonwealth Constitution that nobody can be forced into a medical service. What authority do you have, under which you are getting these requirements.
    Who’s telling you that we need to be mandatory vaccinated. Under which Act?
    I would like to know this information.

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