MR PALLAS (Werribee—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial Relations) (14:56):

I am pleased to update the house on the actions that the Andrews Labor government is taking to help our helpers—the people who have helped secure the safety of our state during the difficult times that we have endured—by helping teachers, firefighters, nurses, ambos, public servants and of course our police to get vaccinated sooner because by getting vaccinated sooner they make us all safer.

As the government announced recently, public sector employees can now access up to half a day’s paid time to get each dose of vaccine. These arrangements apply to full-time and part-time staff and long-term and regular casuals at departments, statutory authorities, government schools, TAFEs, our emergency services and other public entities. Importantly, it is in addition to accrued sick leave, so nobody need worry that they will be worse off by doing the right thing by the community.

This is just one way that the government is making it easier for Victorians to get vaccinated and put the state back on the path to the prosperity and wellbeing that we have all become accustomed to. I know many businesses are out there doing the right thing by Victorians. They are making sure that they support their workers to get vaccinated because this is vitally important for the safety of the community.

As we move to opening up, as we meet the agreed national cabinet time lines and levels of implementation, we need to be assured also that everybody is doing their bit, and vaccination is a pathway to ensuring that. This is just another way that the government is supporting workers through the pandemic. We have already put in place those test isolation payments, pandemic leave, disaster payments and we are supporting the commonwealth to deliver the COVID-19 disaster payments.