Australian businesses to prepare for reopening

The National Cabinet met on Wednesday to further discuss options for easing restrictions over the coming months, helping prepare Australians to go back to work in a COVID-19 safe environment and getting the economy back to a more sustainable level.

Some discussions at the meeting included work on a trans-Tasman COVID-19 safe travel zone to ease travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand; and establishing a COVID-19 Safe Australia.

National Cabinet encouraged businesses to be prepared for reopening, to protect their workers and protect their business.

The importance of a proactive and consistent approach to supporting businesses and workers to safely return to work was highlighted, and National Cabinet agreed that Safework Australia would be the single source of information, which will allow businesses to plan with confidence and consistency. A toolkit is being developed for businesses to use, to help them be work ready in a COVID-19 safe environment.

The development of a three-step framework to gradually remove baseline restrictions to enable Australians to live in a COVID-19 safe economy, was agreed upon. Individual states and territories will determine the timeframe for graduating between steps and individual restrictions to remove. This reflects the fact that states and territories are at different stages of the pandemic response, with six of eight states and territories now recording multiple zero case days.

Further details will be determined by National Cabinet at the meeting on Friday.