Wondering what Victoria’s construction shutdown really means? Here’s what we know – ABC News

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A week after the Victorian government said it was putting the construction industry “on notice” because of concerns compliance issues were leading to spread, most of the industry has been put under a two-week shutdown.

The shutdown affects the sector in metropolitan Melbourne and other local government areas that are subject to lockdown restrictions, which are the City of Ballarat, City of Geelong, Mitchell Shire and the Surf Coast Shire.

Victorian government leaders said it was necessary because of the high number of cases connected to the construction industry and low rates of compliance with COVID restrictions across the sector.

A construction worker wearing a mask, helmet and orange fluro top leans against a small excavator.
The Victorian government says it wants to see greater compliance with COVID-19 health rules when the construction sector re-opens.(

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Treasurer Tim Pallas said a recent blitz of safety inspections across construction worksites showed widespread failures of workers to follow COVID safety rules.

“Close to 50 per cent of the sites inspected have failed to meet the safety requirements,” he said.

“So there has been a spread of transmission from site to site and transmission into households from there.”

The Victorian government said this had led to 154 worksites across the state recording COVID cases.

“Ultimately the government was left with no alternative but to shut the industry down,” Mr Pallas said.

Two workers on a construction site, hammering in a frame for a house.
Construction sites across large parts of Victoria will be closed for two weeks as part of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.(

ABC News: Ian Cutmore

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Who is included in the shutdown?

The simple answer is all construction workers in metro Melbourne and in Victorian areas subject to lockdown restrictions.

Mr Pallas on Tuesday clarified this did include roadworks projects and government construction building sites.

He said landscaping would not be allowed at construction sites but would be allowed at private homes.

Do tradies have to down tools immediately?

Again, the short answer is yes. The shutdown has already started. But Mr Pallas said the industry would be given time to make sure worksites were left in a safe condition.

“There will have to be a demobilisation process,” Mr Pallas said.

“But they have to move immediately, expeditiously to make those sites safe and to get off those sites.”

He said he didn’t expect that work to take more than two days.

How will the industry restart?

Mr Pallas made it clear that the construction sector could not simply restart in a fortnight’s time, with ongoing COVID compliance issues.

He said worksites would need to show they were following the Chief Health Officer’s directions.

“All sites will be required to demonstrate compliance with the CHO’s directions prior to re-opening, including the requirement for workers to show evidence that they have in fact been vaccinated, that they have in fact had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before they return to site on the 5th of October,” he said.

He said workplace inspections would continue when the industry restarts to make sure health directions are being followed.

Will mandatory vaccinations stay?

Building workers in a crowd with signs saying "no vax".
Building workers opposed to compulsory COVID-19 vaccination held a rally outside the CFMEU office in the city.(

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The decision to make vaccines mandatory for construction workers has sparked days of protest.

On Monday about 500 people protested against mandatory vaccines outside the CFMEU office in Melbourne, with protesters throwing bottles and crates at union leaders.

On Tuesday, more than 1,000 protesters took the streets in Melbourne to protest against the industry being shutdown and subject to mandatory vaccines.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley
Health Minister Martin Foley says there has been a spike in construction workers getting vaccinated.(

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But Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley the vaccination rule would stay, with workers having two weeks to get their first dose.

He said there was evidence the vaccine mandate was already making a difference.

“I think from the reports we have had just from our vaccination centres and GPs and others, that we are seeing quite a large number of construction workers coming forward to get vaccinated since the call went out,” he said.

“But at the same time, clearly not enough yet, and given the poor levels of compliance and the continued numbers of transmission sites back into the households and into the regions, the public health team really had no choice.”

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Families and kids share their lives in lockdown

Will there be any financial support for those affected?

Mr Pallas said the Victorian Government was discussing assistance.

“Particularly for the smaller operators in this industry and of course, the disaster relief payments that are available from the Commonwealth will be available for employees in the industry,” he said.

He said the government hoped to have more to say about assistance to the industry in the coming days.

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