The Federal Government is currently implementing the national rollout strategy for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Federal Government has specified that the COVID-19 vaccine is voluntary (and not mandatory).
Employers may be considering whether you can direct your employees to be vaccinated.
Can an employer direct an employee to be vaccinated?
There is no one shoe fits all approach as to whether an employer will be able to direct an employee to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Whether an employer will be able to direct an employee to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be dependent on whether it is considered to be a ‘lawful and reasonable’ direction.
The determination of what is considered to be a ‘lawful and reasonable’ direction will be assessed on a case-by-case basis for each individual employee depending on the nature and circumstances of the employee’s role, the workplace in which they work, the inherent requirements of their role and a multitude of other factors.
Advice should be obtained specific to your business and its obligations prior to actioning any possible direction or recommendation.
How can Marsdens help?
If you have questions about how the vaccine rollout and how it may affect your business, please contact Aaran Johnson or Simon Kumar (contact details below) for a discussion to see how we can assist.
The contents of this publication are for reference purposes only. This publication does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Specific legal advice should always be sought separately before taking any action based on this publication.
