Any staff attending a City of Ballarat facility are required to be fully vaccinated in accordance with the directions of the chief health officer, says council CEO Evan King.
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Mr King responded to questions from The Courier about the City's preparedness for the deadline of the CHO's directive on November 26, where all authorised workers will be required to be fully vaccinated to re-enter the workplace.
"The City of Ballarat continues to follow the advice of the Victorian Government and the CHO's COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Directions," Mr King said.
"Under these directions, all local government staff are required to be fully vaccinated to attend our facilities. We are ensuring all City of Ballarat staff are compliant with these CHO directions.
"The November Council Meeting will take place in the chamber and, as per standard practice, will require councillors, staff and the community to provide their proof of vaccination to attend.
"Council is exploring options for a hybrid council meeting model, which would allow councillors and the community to still participate in council meetings if they are unable to attend the Town Hall in person."
Councillors are not regarded as employees according to the Local Government Act, but their workplace safety is managed by the CEO.
In line with questions to other regional councils last week, The Courier asked Ballarat councillors if they were vaccinated.
Councillors Daniel Moloney, Belinda Coates, Samantha McIntosh, Ben Taylor, Amy Johnson, Des Hudson, Peter Eddy and Mark Harris responded, confirming they were fully vaccinated, with Cr Harris saying he was vaccinated in his vocation as a health worker.
"The people I treat are vulnerable," Cr Harris said.
Cr Tracey Hargreaves did not respond to queries from The Courier.
Mr King said: "The City of Ballarat prides itself on maintaining a working environment that is safe and which protects the health of our workers and our community. We know vaccinations remain our best protection against COVID-19".
The Municipal Association of Victoria is the legislated peak body for local government in Victoria. Its president is Pyrenees Shire councillor David Clark.
In an opinion piece published in The Courier earlier this year, he supports following public health advisories.
"Please get vaccinated! Vaccination will help protect you from getting sick from COVID-19," Mr Clark wrote.
"The vaccines being used in Australia are very effective at preventing serious illness and loss of life from COVID-19."
