Transmit electricity, not a virus
The Victorian Government has been asked to clarify if proof of vaccination is required by AusNet representatives going onto land being considered for the Western Victorian Transmission Network project.
Under the new COVID guidelines, farmers and business owners are obliged to check and record proof of double vaccination of any contractors and workers on their property.
This includes shearers, fruit pickers, milkers and harvesters.
However, landowners along the proposed 190km WVTNP route, stretching from Bulgana near Stawell to Sydenham, are currently also subject to Ausnet access to their properties.
Many have previously refused access, but AusNet is now enforcing its access rights under Sec 93 of the Electricity Act.
Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, has queried the farmers’ obligations in the Parliament this week, questioning how COVID rules may impact Section 93 access rights.
“CHO Directions consider all farms as workplaces and potential transmission sites,” Mrs McArthur said.
“So, my question to the Minister for Health is: are landowners required to monitor forced access by contractors, to record attendance, and to establish the vaccination status of these works potentially in close contact with their own employees?
“Can they deny access to contractors of undetermined or non-vaccinated status?
“If they do not, are they liable to penalties under the directions,” she asked.
Employers elsewhere face a $109,000 fine if these standards are not met.
“AusNet should be about transmitting electricity, not a virus.
“What if a farm becomes a Tier 1 site? What does a farmer do? Shut down? And who compensates for the inability to harvest a crop or milk cows? Or indeed, who milks the cows or shears the sheep if the site is declared site?
“What if AusNet representatives infect farm employees? Is there compensation for lost work time? Or health decline?
“These aren’t little questions.
“The Health Minister needs to clear this matter up very quickly,” Mrs McArthur said.
29 October 2021