Leader of the Opposition, Lia Finocchiaro, says the Chief Minister has turned his back on Territorians by refusing to provide industry-specific support packages to business so that employers can successfully implement his vaccine mandate.
“We’re now just five days out from the mandate deadline.
“An industry-specific support package is the very least Michael Gunner could provide, given the fact he’s forcing businesses to bear the burden of implementing his mandate.
“This morning he told Mix104.9 that Territory businesses are on their own:
Katie Woolf: “Has there been any kind of industry-specific support package developed or rolled out for those businesses who do need to implement this (vaccine mandate) on Friday?”
Michael Gunner: “No.”
Katie Woolf: “Should there be?”
Michael Gunner: “No.”
“Why is the Chief Minister pitting businesses against their employees and not providing any support so that his mandate is successfully implemented?
“The weekend’s lockout has highlighted that, come Friday, many businesses across a variety of industries – and the public service – are going to experience major staffing shortfalls due to the number of unvaccinated workers.
“What’s most concerning is that the Gunner Labor Government doesn’t have a plan to support business – or plug the gaps those unvaccinated frontline workers will leave – and has no plan to ensure there is no impact to service delivery,” said Mrs Finocchiaro.
ENDS