Thursday, 28 October 2021

 Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:28): My question is to the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery. The chief health officer directives require that a business must collect, record and hold vaccination information. Additionally, training is required for businesses to employ COVID check-in marshals. Minister, what is the government’s advice as to the additional cost to small businesses to maintain and abide by the CHO directives?

 Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (14:29): I thank the member for Caulfield for his question and the fact that he seems to completely fail to appreciate that all of those things which he refers to—the check-in requirements, the ability to maintain that information, to ensure that customers are vaccinated—are in fact in the interests of keeping business open. They are all the reasons why from 6.00 pm tomorrow we are able to move to phase C, where not density quotient 4 with a maximum of 150 but DQ4 with no cap is what is applicable inside hospitality and many other venues. It is why from on or about 24 November we are able to remove all restrictions other than masks in certain circumstances and those very vaccination requirements that the member for Caulfield seems to have such a problem with.

Mr Southwick: On a point of order, Speaker, if I could ask you to bring the minister back to answering the question. The question was specifically about what additional costs will small businesses have to wear for all of these additional things that they have to do. Could you bring the minister to answering the question, please?

The SPEAKER: Order! The question was ‘What is the government’s advice as to the additional costs?’, and I think the minister is being responsive to that broad question.

Mr PAKULA: Thank you, Speaker. I point out to the member for Caulfield that over the course of this pandemic not only have we provided some $11 billion worth of business support and not only have I, the Treasurer and the Minister for Small Business consulted with and negotiated with the business community—whether it is small business, whether it is the manufacturing sector, whether it is the events sector or the tourism sector or others—consistently to find out what their needs are, we have provided all manner of support to the business community. What we know from the discussions we have had with the business community, including the small business sector, is that they are most interested in one thing: getting open and being able to trade at the highest level they possibly can. They know that ensuring that the community is vaccinated, ensuring that their customers are vaccinated and ensuring that their staff are vaccinated is the best and shortest way to achieve that objective. In those circumstances the business community does not view those requirements as a burden that in any way outweighs the benefits to them of being open and operating at full tote odds.

 Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:32): Minister, with such excessive penalties for non-compliance, is the government reviewing the harsh requirements and penalties that will be applied, for example, on a small business for failing to have COVID check-in marshals in place at all times?

 Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (14:32): Again, like in numerous, countless pieces of legislation, there are of course maximum penalties that are in place in legislation, and those maximum penalties apply to the most egregious, the most deliberate types of breaches, as the member for Caulfield, who is a former Shadow Minister for Police, well understands. Those maximum penalties need to be weighed up against what is actually happening in reality, what is actually happening on the ground. I think the member for Caulfield understands that what is happening on the ground is that in the vast majority of circumstances warnings are issued. Businesses are given the opportunity to rectify their behaviour. Whether it is Victoria Police or whether it is authorised officers, a commonsense approach is taken and large fines are only applied in the most blatant, the most egregious circumstances. I am sure the member for Caulfield knows that.