Disappointing Change to Construction Reopening

Plan for Vaccination Rules

HIA unfortunately has to inform members that the Victorian Government has without warning or explanation changed the construction industry reopening plan.

Yesterday HIA advised members that the definition of fully vaccinated for construction industry restrictions would mean:

• either having received two vaccination doses or
• one vaccination dose and having a second dose booked by 13 November 2021. 

This information followed advice from the Government and indeed was on the Government’s official construction industry reopening plan website.

The Government has changed this advice today.

It has now announced the definition of fully vaccinated, which is to be included in new public health directions expected to be made on Monday, will mean only two vaccination doses meet the new vaccination requirement for workers moving between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

This is very disappointing as many builders would have started scheduling work for next week and many workers with a single dose and a booking for a second dose would have believed they could work on sites in the alternate region next week.  This is no longer the case as a result of this late change.  No doubt this will be a cruel surprise for many workers.

HIA is urgently requesting that the Government reconsider its position and reinstate the previously advised definition of fully vaccinated for the purposes of travelling between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria which was publicly released yesterday.