Businesses call for state action, saying they are 'desperate to know what’s next'
The Queensland government has recently received an appeal from different employers and businesses that said they have “a right to know [about] the state’s 90% vaccine mandate review” and the expected impact of the decision on “their day-to-day trade".
In a media release, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) said that state mandates continue to “drag on two years later” while local and national economies recover from the “lowest business confidence since the start of the COVID economic crisis.”
According to CCIQ’s data, more than 60% of business owners or staff are suffering mental health impacts due to COVID stressors, with many businesses still gripped by vaccine mandates while dealing with the impacts of natural disasters.
CCIQ policy and advocacy general manager Amanda Rohan said the state promised “a vaccine mandate review” when the state reached its 90% target, arguing that “to date, there had been no certainty as to what the review included, what it meant for businesses, or if it happened at all.”
“For close to two years Queensland communities have been doing everything they’ve been told to, everything they can, to get to this point in the state’s COVID recovery,” Rohan said.
“Now is the time for government to level the playing field and bring businesses, their staff, customers and communities still operating under the vaccine mandates into line with those businesses operating without any restrictions.”
“Businesses and Chambers of Commerce across Queensland are calling on the Premier and Small Business Minister to review these mandates. Business have done their bit, now the State Government needs to do their bit and deliver the review businesses were promised,” Rohan said.
Employers highlighted that they have been “calling for a review” since January, saying they are “desperate to know what’s next and how they can plan ahead.”
Businesses have also said that there are still disruptions to supply chains, staff availability and consumer behaviour and confidence, stressing that “any opportunity for businesses rules, red tape and mandates to be reviewed, relaxed or removed” was “essential.”
