The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Right Commission (VEOHRC) has issued resources answering every question Victorians are likely to ask about their rights and obligations during the ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown currently in place.
The three updated resources covered facemasks, mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations and protests during the pandemic.
“The ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown currently in place has a range of human rights implications for Victorians,” the VEOHRC said.
“Our updated resources on face masks, protest rights and COVID-19 vaccination will help you understand your rights and how you can seek further help,” it said.
The VEOHRC said its FAQs: Face masks and human rights resource answered questions about mandatory face masks and people’s human rights and its Explainer: Protests during COVID-19 answered questions on protest rights.
It said people were currently required to wear a face mask whenever they left home unless an exception applied such as a medical condition, including a physical or mental health condition, or disability; to communicate with a person with hearing impairment; engaging in strenuous exercise; and undergoing some medical treatments.
It said its resource Explainer: Mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations and your rights answered questions about vaccine requirements and Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Act 2010 or Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006.
“Vaccination status is not a protected attribute under the Equal Opportunity Act,” it said.
“However, if an employer makes vaccinations a mandatory condition of employment, or a service provider requires proof of vaccination, this could be discrimination.”
The VEOHRC said a range of factors were relevant to whether it was ‘reasonably necessary’ under the Act for an employer to require vaccination, including the type of workplace and the people in the workplace; the risk of transmission; whether alternative measures could be put in place; rate of community transmission; the availability of the vaccine; and advice from work health and safety bodies such as Safe Work Australia about vaccinations.
The VEOHRC’s nine-page resource on face masks can be accessed at this PS News link, its six-page explainer on COVID-19 vaccinations at this link and its four-page explainer on protest rights at this link.
