State Courts Administrator, Penny Croser has advised all Courts Administration Authority (CAA) staff that under the final CAA COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, all staff will be required to be double-dose vaccinated by 14 February, subject to limited exemptions.
Ms Croser said that following a risk-assessment and consultation on the introduction of a policy of mandatory COVID vaccination for CAA employees, staff were advised of the final Policy on 11 January.
“The Courts are an essential service in our community that have continued to operate throughout the pandemic,” Ms Croser said.
“We continue to see the number of COVID cases rising,” she said.
“It is critical that we protect judiciary and staff and particularly court users, some of whom are the most vulnerable in our community.”
She said staff had a high degree of contact with court users and it was imperative that risk of moving infection into correctional services, youth justice settings, and into the community be mitigated.
Ms Croser said that while the Policy only applied to Authority staff, the CAA had strict COVID-safe practices that applied to court users such as wearing a mask in all court buildings, using QR codes at point-of-entry and in individual courtrooms and practising social distancing and good hand hygiene.
She said the CAA had sought feedback from all staff to understand different views on the Policy with the Executive Leadership Team and State Courts Administration Council considering and responding to feedback before deciding on the final Policy.
“The CAA is committed to providing a safe work environment,” Ms Croser said.
