Business Daily Media

Men's Weekly

.

Business crucial to a safe return to normal

  • Written by Business Council


The Business Council is today releasing a paper that outlines how business will play a crucial part in a risk management approach to returning greater freedoms to Australians, including normal day-to-day business and personal activities.

Business is playing a leading role in managing a careful and gradual easing of restrictions without compromising safety as part of our commitment to drive Australia’s social and economic recovery, Business Council chief executive Jennifer Westacott said.

“We all recognise that in the long run there can be no trade-off between health, social and economic recovery: our strategy must deliver on all fronts, or it will fail.

“The business community stands side by side with state and federal governments to safely re-open our nation by providing safe workplaces for employees, customers, and suppliers.

“It is vital that together we rebuild a sense of confidence in the community that it will be safe to go back to work, go to the shops, and go about our daily lives so we can start moving forward.

“We welcome the National Cabinet’s decision to begin mapping out the road ahead, and we believe the critical elements of safely easing back on restrictions include:

·      Keeping employees, customers, and suppliers safe through enhanced workplace safety standards

·      Rebuilding confidence by continuing partnerships between governments, unions and industry, and

·      Transitioning economic assistance from ‘life-support’ to ‘acceleration’.

“The community must have confidence in how restrictions are safely eased otherwise the social and economic benefits will not be realised.

“Industry and business will continue to develop and adopt best practice safety standards, with many already enforcing social distancing rules, enhanced hygiene practices, and staggered and rotating return of workers.

“We also believe that confidence in a safe re-opening of the economy will be further boosted by mass testing and the adoption of opt-in technology such as mobile apps to assist with contact tracing to minimise further outbreaks of the virus. Business stands ready to be part of those solutions,” Business council president Tim Reed said.

“Using a ‘traffic light’ style approach that registers red, amber or green, apps could easily detect a person’s infection risk and would be a powerful way to help employers keep employees, customers and suppliers safe as well as reassure the community about the safety of work and public places.

“Any technology would need to be community driven, have strict independent governance, privacy safeguards and an expiry date,” he said.

The decisions by Australian governments, businesses and individuals to embrace social distancing measures has been highly effective in combating the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jennifer Westacott said.

“This means we now have an opportunity to determine how to best manage the virus and its impacts on our society and economy as we move forward. The costs of failing to properly manage the way out of the pandemic would be enormous and generations would pay the price.

“We must not waste a second of our new level of co-operation between business, governments, unions and the broader community to work towards recovery.’’

Read Working together in the national interest – COVID-19 next steps online here

Small-Business Cash-Flow Playbook 2025

An educational guide to managing ATO debt, real-time super and growth finance in Australia’s new landscape Why ATO debt just became the most expe...

Landowners Offered $30,000 Per Year for Just 1 Hectare: The Rise of 5MW Battery Projects Across Australia

In a pivotal shift reshaping Australia’s renewable energy landscape, landowners in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria are being offered up ...

Major national security tech alliance launches with Aerologix a founding member

Australia’s leading drone intelligence pioneer bolsters sovereign tech power Australia’s leading aerial data and drone intelligence platform, Aer...

Chris Hancock AM Honoured as 2025 Communications Ambassador

SYDNEY Chris Hancock AM, former CEO of AARNet, has been awarded the prestigious Communications Ambassador title at the 2025 Telecommunications Indus...

Baby boomers are driving development feasibility leading to larger apartments

As residential developers continue to grapple with feasibility issues on apartment projects, the sector is struggling to deliver volumes of new st...

Hays launches FY25/26 Salary Guide: ‘Salary Paradox’ deepens as pay rises fail Australians

Rising dissatisfaction with pay, progression and perks is fuelling a new wave of career change in FY25/26, as Australians demand more from employe...

Sell by LayBy