CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION PACKAGE (Version 1, 18th March 2020)
FIRST STIMULUS PACKAGE:
The Australian economy is resilient, and Australia is well placed to navigate the economic implications arising from the Coronavirus.
The Government has moved quickly to put in place health measures to protect the Australian community from this complex and rapidly evolving challenge.
The Australian Government recently announce an initial economic response totalling $17.6 billion across the forward estimates, representing 0.9 per cent of annual GDP. This package will protect the economy by maintaining confidence, supporting investment and keeping people in jobs.
Additional household income and business support will flow through to strengthen the wider economy.
Information on the package can be found in the file linked on this page.
HEALTH:
It is critical that everyone look after their own health and that of their families, workers and their communities. If anyone wants more information on COVID-19, including the symptoms and what to do if you suspect you might be at risk of infection, please visit the Government Health advisory site or call the National Incident Response Centre on 1800 020 080.
Guidelines on isolation can be found here.
Up-to-date resources on COVID-19 can be found on the Department of Health website here.
EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES:
- Fair Work Ombudsman fact sheet on workplace obligations summarising the information on the FWO site.
- Information on the workplace obligations can be found in the attached file or through the following linkage.
- https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media-releases/website-news/coronavirus-and-australian-workplace-laws
- Growcom has prepared a detailed guide for employers and employees regarding COVID-19 – please click here to view the document (please note that given the evolving situation with COVID-19, Growcom makes no claims or guarantees about the completeness, accuracy or currency of this information).
- Information on preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace for employers can be found via https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-employers.
- The World Health Organization has developed a factsheet on ‘Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19’, which details how you can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace.
- Coronavirus information and support for businesses, including information on employers’ obligations and information on government assistance, can be found via https://business.gov.au/risk-management/emergency-management/coronavirus-information-and-support-for-business.
- Information from the Department of Home Affairs on international travellers, including travel restrictions, international travellers and information for visas, can be found at https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/current-alerts/novel-coronavirus.
FRESH PRODUCE:
- It is important to note that it is unlikely that COVID-19 will be passed on through fresh produce. More information around the COVID-19 and fresh produce can be found at the Australian Research Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry website in this article by Dr Hayriye Bozkurt.
- Poster, produced by the Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland, for workers for growers to put up on packing shed walls
- Copy of the poster can be found in the attached file
- Suggestions and tips for managing workforce – i.e running small teams and keeping them isolated from each other, reducing the number of “touches” on a piece of fruit, sterilisation of shared spaces after teams have been in them, signage for workers etc.
Links:
- Covid-19 Grower fact sheet Version 1, 18th March 2020: Grower Fact Sheet_V1_18th March 2020_PGAI
- Coronavirus and the Australian Workplace: Coronavirus_and_Australian_workplace_laws_-_Website_news_-_Fair_Work_Ombudsman
- NGIQ Corona Virus Poster: NGIQ_Corona_Virus_Poster_3_002_
- Economic Response to the Coronavirus: Overview-Economic_Response_to_the_Coronavirus
All information prepared by Trevor Ranford, Executive Officer, Pistachio Growers’mAssociation