Earn
3 in 4 Aussies welcome COVID jab as rollout begins
The vast majority of Australians have declared they would consent to a COVID-19 jab, as the first phase of Australia’s vaccination program begins on Monday.
3 in 4 Aussies welcome COVID jab as rollout begins
The vast majority of Australians have declared they would consent to a COVID-19 jab, as the first phase of Australia’s vaccination program begins on Monday.
According to survey data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 73 per cent of Australians agreed or strongly agreed they would opt for a COVID-19 vaccination if it was available and recommended to them.
ABS head of household surveys David Zago said the latest Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey conducted from 11 to 18 December explored Australia’s attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines.
“Men were more likely than women (76 per cent compared with 71 per cent) and people aged 65 years and over were more likely than people aged 18 to 64 years (83 per cent compared with 71 per cent) to agree or strongly agree with getting a COVID-19 vaccine,” Mr Zago said.
“Almost three in five people (58 per cent) agreed or strongly agreed that they would try to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available to them.”
You won’t be forced to get a vaccination
While the majority of Australian are in favour of receiving a COVID-19 jab, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Safe Work Australia (SWA) have stressed that the overwhelming majority of employers should assume they will not be able to require their employees to be vaccinated.
“The latest guidance provided by the FWO and SWA reinforces the federal government’s broader vaccine policy that vaccination should be voluntary,” Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations Christian Porter said.
“As the Prime Minister has said many times, the government expects that the overwhelming majority of Australians will want to be vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones, and so they can get on with their lives without disruption.”
However, in a previous conversation with nestegg, Australian employment and industrial law barrister Ian Neil urged employees to get vaccinated if they work in a field where it is considered lawful and reasonable.
“Employees have an obligation to obey the lawful and reasonable direction of their employer, and in most cases, it will be lawful and reasonable for employers to direct or require their employees to be vaccinated,” Mr Neil said.
He said that a person’s field of work will determine what is, in this case, considered “lawful and reasonable”.
“There will always be debates about the reasonableness about the requirement to get vaccinated, [and] the answer to that debate will depend in part on what sort of work the employee is doing,” he said.
“It is obviously much more reasonable for employees in care facilities or in hospitals, for example, to be vaccinated compared with people who work alone.”
Vaccine rollout to determine Australia’s economic recovery
While the vast majority of Australians are in support of the vaccine, minutes from the RBA’s monthly meeting have shown it is imperative to the economic recovery.
During its monthly meeting, the RBA said growth forecasts for the global economy and Australia’s major trading partners had been revised a little higher as a result of fiscal and monetary policy remaining highly expansionary.
“However, the brighter outlook did not change members’ assessment that the global recovery was still likely to be bumpy and uneven, with most economies expected to be well short of their pre-pandemic trajectories at the end of the forecast period,” the RBA said.
“Labour markets were therefore likely to have considerable spare capacity for some time, resulting in subdued inflationary pressures. The spread of the virus and the speed of vaccine distribution remained key determinants of the outlook.”
About the author
About the author
Salary
Coles asked to disprove $115m in alleged wage theft
One of Australia’s biggest supermarkets faces allegations that it underpaid more than 7,500 employees a total of $115 million. ...Read more
Salary
Gen Z left behind in progress to gender equality
Women under 25 may emerge from the pandemic in a worse financial position than when it began, new research has shown. ...Read more
Salary
Show me the money: I deserve a COVID recognition payment, and so do you
Staff are currently in high demand. But they’re also mostly overworked, overtired, underplayed and underpaid. ...Read more
Salary
Is Australia headed for the ‘Great Resignation’?
A wave of resignations from Australian workers is expected in the next six months. ...Read more
Salary
Earnings surge in lockdown, but is a slump ahead?
A new report from CBA has shown that it may actually pay to be in lockdown, as growth in household income surged ahead in NSW and Victoria. ...Read more
Salary
RBA sets sights on 4% unemployment
The RBA has updated its key objectives in order to jolt the Australian economy into growth, including a two-decade low unemployment rate of 4 per cent. ...Read more
Salary
Aussie women required to work 61 extra days to earn the same pay
61 days is how much extra time a woman must spend in the workforce to achieve the same financial outcome as her male counterpart, with the gender gap expected to grow further, research has revealed. ...Read more
Salary
Pandemic sees spike in remote-work job postings
Businesses are looking far and wide to attract key staff members as lockdowns accelerate the move towards online working, meaning businesses can now attract staff who do not need to be in the office, ...Read more
Wrapping up an eventful 2021
Listen now
What Omicron means for property, and are units right for first-time buyers? What is equity crowdfunding? Are industry super funds tapping into member funds to save their skins?
Listen now
Will housing affordability improve in 2022? Will buy now, pay later become the norm? Why are Aussies staying in failing super products?
Listen now
Who really benefits from crypto ETFs? How will the RBA respond to rising inflation? Could a mandate help address unpaid super?
Listen now
Salary
Coles asked to disprove $115m in alleged wage theft
One of Australia’s biggest supermarkets faces allegations that it underpaid more than 7,500 employees a total of $115 million. ...Read more
Salary
Gen Z left behind in progress to gender equality
Women under 25 may emerge from the pandemic in a worse financial position than when it began, new research has shown. ...Read more
Salary
Show me the money: I deserve a COVID recognition payment, and so do you
Staff are currently in high demand. But they’re also mostly overworked, overtired, underplayed and underpaid. ...Read more
Salary
Is Australia headed for the ‘Great Resignation’?
A wave of resignations from Australian workers is expected in the next six months. ...Read more
Salary
Earnings surge in lockdown, but is a slump ahead?
A new report from CBA has shown that it may actually pay to be in lockdown, as growth in household income surged ahead in NSW and Victoria. ...Read more
Salary
RBA sets sights on 4% unemployment
The RBA has updated its key objectives in order to jolt the Australian economy into growth, including a two-decade low unemployment rate of 4 per cent. ...Read more
Salary
Aussie women required to work 61 extra days to earn the same pay
61 days is how much extra time a woman must spend in the workforce to achieve the same financial outcome as her male counterpart, with the gender gap expected to grow further, research has revealed. ...Read more
Salary
Pandemic sees spike in remote-work job postings
Businesses are looking far and wide to attract key staff members as lockdowns accelerate the move towards online working, meaning businesses can now attract staff who do not need to be in the office, ...Read more
More articles
Website Notifications
Get notifications in real-time for staying up to date with content that matters to you.
