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MTA Petitions Premier to Adopt National Framework
The MTA has called on the State Government to come into line with the national framework for dealing with “close contacts” of people who contract COVID-19.
In a letter to Premier Steven Marshall, MTA CEO Paul Unerkov also urged the Government to add the automotive sector to the list of essential services.
“During November 2020 and July 2021 lockdowns, much of the automotive industry was recognised in formal directions as an essential service due to the critical importance of vehicle repair industry and its supply chain to maintaining the mobility of South Australians,” he said in the letter.
“MTA members as employers have a strong commitment to the health and safety of their employees, having responsibly operated during these lockdown periods, as well as complying with ongoing public safety measures in place such as the use of masks in indoor public spaces, social distancing and the use of the COVID-SAfe Check-In system.
“In a recent survey, 94.7% of South Australian MTA members told us that they would like their employees who are close contacts to be able to safely return to work, provided they comply with conditions such as a PCR test undertaken, negative rapid antigen tests and full vaccination status, in line with other industry sectors in South Australia.
“South Australia has also diverged from the definition of a close contact agreed to by National Cabinet. The conflicting arrangements and poor communication are not only causing confusion for the automotive industry - they are restricting industry’s ability to trade in an already challenging environment.
“Our members are regularly advising us that employees having to isolate as close contacts is having a significant impact on their businesses, including site shutdowns, against a backdrop of pre-existing skill shortages in the automotive industry.
“Accordingly, the MTA strongly urges you to adopt the national framework in South Australia as a matter of urgency.”
The MTA’s Industry Government Engagement Manager, Kaes Cillessen, said the situation was “quite dire”. Many businesses were impacted because staff were being forced into isolation as casual or close contacts.
“We have seen a growing list of shortages and a clear need to keep industry and businesses going,” he said.
“National Cabinet adopted a new definition of a close contact, essentially with a four-hour a benchmark, mainly in household environments.
“There was some indication that South Australia was going to be a signatory to that, but ultimately we learned from SA Health that SA would act separately from the rest of the country. It was very confusing and disappointing for our members.
“There are obviously people who are sick with COVID-19 and need to isolate. But are a lot of healthy people just forced into isolation for long periods of time and businesses are shutting down.
“The second issue relates to critical industries, where if you are a close contact but double vaxxed, asymptomatic and have a negative test, you could return to work wearing a mask.
“Disappointingly, South Australia again went with its own framework, which included some industries but largely overlooked the automotive industry.
“Once again, SA is departing from what we thought was a consistent national framework.
“In the past there has been a recognition that the automotive industry, particularly repair and the parts supply chain, is an essential service to keeping the mobility of Australians in place.
“So we really strongly urged the Premier to adopt those national standards in South Australia.”
The Premier responded to the MTA acknowledging our request to expand the list to include the automotive industry, but disappointingly did not commit to alignment with National Cabinet’s framework.
