Reopening Victoria

The latest insights into government regulations for the safe reopening and operation of Victorian workplaces.

As we move towards living and working with Covid-19, Victorian employers need to be aware of government regulations that outline how they can open and operate safely. These regulations are changing rapidly and this page will bring together our latest thinking on these developments.

We suggest you bookmark this page and visit often for updates. Otherwise, sign up for our regular eAlert updates so we can deliver our insights directly to you.

If you would like to speak to us about what your workplace needs to do to open safely, contact us.

  • 7 December 2021 - Mandatory Vaccination Policies: The Fair Work Commission hands down its most important decision yet

    In a significant decision handed down last Friday, the Fair Work Commission held that a requirement or direction to comply with a mandatory vaccination policy at a BHP workplace was not a lawful and reasonable direction because the employer had not complied with its WHS consultation obligation.

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  • 11 November - Vaccination requirements – Some clarity for council meetings and council premises

    The new Open Premises Directions (No 4) (Directions) have provided some much needed clarity around unvaccinated individuals and attendance at council premises, including council meetings.

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  • 27 October 2021 - Reopening Victoria - The Open Premises Directions

    All operators of open premises in Victoria need to be aware of the requirements of the Open Premises Directions and should consider the compliance, systems and privacy implications of them. Open premises include certain businesses such as hospitality, food & drink, some retail, accommodation, community, education, entertainment and physical recreation. The Directions will also apply to some operations of local government.

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  • 15 October 2021 - Changes from today to the Victorian Vaccination Directions – are your employees affected?

    The Directions affect employers and some additional workers from Friday 15 October. All Victorian employers should be aware of the changes that may impact on the requirement for their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to work outside their home. Notably the vaccination requirements now apply to Victorian Local Government employees.

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  • 12 October 2021 - A mandatory vaccination regime is now in place for construction sites across Victoria

    From 2 October 2021, operators of construction sites are required to collect, record and hold information on the vaccination status of workers who attend their site or will attend the site in the future. From that date, any person who has not yet received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will not be permitted to attend a construction site, unless a medical exemption applies.

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  • 11 October 2021 - Victoria’s Mandatory Vaccination Directions – What do they require?

    The last week has seen two new sets of public health orders released, requiring vaccinations for various categories of Victorian employees and employers.

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  • 1 October 2021 - Vaccine mandates for Victoria: all you need to know this week

    This week has seen a number of significant developments in relation to mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 in Victoria.

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  • 26 August 2021 - Mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in residential aged care

    Our Healthcare Team has carefully considered the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for aged care workers that are due to commence in mid-September 2021.

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  • 17 August 2021 - COVID-19 vaccinations: Can you mandate and should you incentivise?

    The Fair Work Ombudsman has released new guidance which gives employers more tools and factors to consider when undertaking an assessment of whether they can direct employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19.

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