News

South Australian Premier Announces End to Lockdown

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has released details about the state’s preparation to lift lockdown at midnight tonight.

A summary of restrictions that will remain in place include:

• Masks remain mandatory in all “high risk” settings – personal care services, passenger transport services and healthcare services and are “strongly recommended” in the workplace.
• Density requirement of one person per four square metres
• Food and beverage consumption seated only – outdoor and indoor
• Restrictions on shisha bars, dancing and singing to continue for seven days
• Household gatherings and private activities limited to 10 people maximum per household (including members of the home)
• Weddings and funerals can have a maximum of 50 people
• Gyms may reopen with one person per eight square metres
• Masks become part of the norm for secondary school pupils.

ACWA will provide further details if and when it becomes available

Victoria’s Lockdown will Officially be Lifted from 11.59 pm Tonight

The Victorian Premier has made a statement on the changed COVID restrictions in Victoria.  A copy of the message can be found here https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/lockdown-lifted-across-victoria

A summary of the Premier’s statement is as follows:

• Victorians will be able to leave their homes for any reason
• Businesses and venues can reopen with capacity and density limits of 1 person per 4sq m
• Hospitality, retail, beauty, personal care, entertainment venues and community facilities will open in line with density limits
• Masks required everywhere indoors and outdoors (except private residences)
• Live music venues, dance classes and physical recreation facilities, including gyms, will all open with density requirements of 1 person per 4sq m
• Schools will reopen on Wednesday
• No visitors to the home for the next fortnight
• Public gatherings will be allowed with up to 10 people
• If you can work from home, you should work from home. Office workers will be able to return up to 25 per cent or up to 10 people, whichever is greater.
• Holiday accommodation can only be booked with your household, intimate partner or single bubble person
• Entry to Victoria’s alpine resorts will require a negative Covid test and result within 72 hours before visiting. Children under 12 years of age are not required to be tested.
• Funerals and weddings will have a cap of 50 mourners

ACWA will provide further details if and when available.

COVID Update Around The Country

COVID news abounds today, and there have been several concurrent press announcements.  ACWA provides the following summary of important information.

 

COVID Safe Plans and QR Code Contact Tracing

ACWA has become aware of an instance in Victoria of Worksafe visiting a car wash site to undertake inspections to ensure COVID Safe Plans and Contact QR Code Tracing practices.  We are unaware that this is part of an orchestrated campaign or a random check; however it serves as an alert for all Members.

ACWA has advised members on several occasions that it highly recommends implementing COVID Safe Plans and QR Code Contract Tracing at all car wash sites. Please be sure you comply with your state regulations, as these systems are compulsory in most states.

 

South Australia

South Australia will move from Level 4 Restrictions and enter a statewide lockdown under Level 5 restrictions from 6.00 pm tonight, Tuesday 20 July 2021.  The restrictions are currently in place for one week.

Premier Steven Marshall announced in today’s press conference that under the new rules, there would only be five reasons to leave home.  Those reasons are:

1. Care and compassion (for example, caring for a loved one)
2. Essential work
3. The purchase of essential goods such as groceries
4. Medical reasons, including vaccinations
5. Exercise (only people in the same household)

As is usual, the devil will be in the detail.  At this time, new Public Activities Directions are pending, and the SA Government website has not been updated.  The facts, when posted, can be found here https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/response.

 

New South Wales

There has been no change to business conditions since our last communication; however, as the regulations are quite recent, we will repeat some of the information already provided.

As previously outlined, new restrictions for Businesses in Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour, came into effect from 11.59 pm 17 July 2021. They will last until 11.59 pm on Friday, 30 July.

The COVID rules for NSW can be found here https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules

ACWA respects that there will be some members who review the regulations and decide to close their sites. Others will elect to remain open.

At this time, ACWA does not believe it is in the industry’s best interest to seek formal clarification from the NSW Government.  Our experience in dealing with other state governments, notably Victoria, suggests that formalising enquiries may remove options for car wash businesses intending to continue operations under somewhat confusing messaging.

At this time, ACWA does not believe it is in the industry’s best interest to seek formal clarification from the NSW Government.  Our experience in dealing with other state governments, notably Victoria, suggests that formalising enquiries may remove options for car wash businesses intending to operate in any “grey area” created by confusing regulations.

Operators should note the information provided in this email should not be construed as permission to operate; however, ACWA points the following out to members.

• ACWA has been unable to locate any regulation that explicitly calls on car washing to close.
• The Authorised Worker List published on the NSW COVID website here https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/authorised-workers#transport-postal-and-warehousing allows workers to attend a worksite that provide “vehicle repairs and critical maintenance, including disinfection” services.
• Petrol stations may remain open; therefore, car wash services at petrol stations, in particular, appear exempt from closure.

 

Victoria

Victoria’s current lockdown has been extended for an additional seven days, and conditions have not changed. Notably, the lockdown is now set to expire at 11.59 pm on Tuesday, 27 July 2021.

 

Other States and Territories

No Change.

 

South Australia Introduces Level 4 COVID Restrictions

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has announced new restrictions for South Australia.

The new Activities Directions are in effect from 12:01 am 20 July 2021. Mr Marshall said the “Level 4” restrictions would be reviewed on Friday.

Where similar restrictions have been introduced in other states, the impact on car wash businesses has become more apparent in the days following the announcement.

Car washing is not specifically referred to in the current activities restrictions, which can be found here https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/restrictions-and-responsibilities/activities-and-gatherings/current-activity-restrictions

There is significant confusion over the restrictions on “essential retail” that have been put in place. This morning, for example, media reports are attributing the following statements to SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens

• “There is a difficulty in being definitive with this list that you’re going to properly capture everybody should be captured in terms of being able to trade and excluding those that should not,” told reporters.
• “There will be a business by business assessment in terms of what they can trade and what they can’t.”

ACWA respects that there will be some members who review the regulations and decide to close their sites. Others will elect to remain open and should ensure they have a Covid Safe plan in place for both staff and customers.  If applicable they should also have the QR code visible at all payment points.

At this time, ACWA does not believe it is in the industry’s best interest to seek formal clarification from the SA Government.  Our experience in dealing with other state governments, notably Victoria, suggests that formalising enquiries may remove options for car wash businesses intending to continue operations under somewhat confusing messaging.

Operators should note the information provided in this email should not be construed as permission to operate; however, ACWA points out the following:

• ACWA has been unable to locate any regulation that explicitly calls on car washing to close.
• It is noted that retailers involved in repairing motor vehicles, motorcycles or bicycle repair and related facilities (ACWA highlight) are permitted to operate.
• Petrol stations may remain open; therefore, car wash services at petrol stations, in particular, appear exempt from closure.

ACWA will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed.

Greater Sydney Lockdown Business Conditions

As outlined on Saturday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced new restrictions for Businesses in Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour.  These restrictions came into effect from 11.59 pm 17 July 2021 and last until 11.59 pm on Friday, 30 July.

Where similar restrictions have been introduced in other states, the impact on car wash businesses has become more apparent in the days following the announcement.  However, the circumstances for car washing in NSW remain unclear.

At this time, ACWA does not believe it is in the industry’s best interest to seek formal clarification from the NSW Government.  Our experience in dealing with other state governments, notably Victoria, suggests that formalising enquiries may remove options for car wash businesses intending to operate in any “grey area” created by confusing regulations.

Operators should also note the information provided in this email should not be construed as permission to operate; however, ACWA points out the following:

• ACWA has been unable to locate any regulation that explicitly calls on car washing to close.
• The Authorised Worker List published on the NSW COVID website here https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/authorised-workers#transport-postal-and-warehousing allows workers to attend a worksite that provide “vehicle repairs and critical maintenance, including disinfection” services.
• Petrol stations may remain open; therefore, car wash services at petrol stations, in particular, appear exempt from closure.

Changes to NSW Lockdown Conditions

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced new restrictions for Business which will come into effect from 11.59 pm tonight.  At this time, the details have not made it to the NSW COVID websites; however, the Premier’s media statement can be found here https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/restrictions-to-further-limit-spread-of-covid-19-delta-strain

Often the devil is in the detail, and without that information available, we can only state what is on the media statement.  It declares that from 11.59 pm on Saturday, 17 July:

• Retail premises will be required to close (‘click and collect’, takeaway, and home delivery can still operate), except the following can remain open:
  • Supermarkets and grocery stores (including butchers, bakeries, fruit and vegetable stores, liquor stores and fishmongers);
  • Stores that predominantly sell health, medical, maternity and infant supplies;
  • Pharmacies and chemists;
  • Petrol stations;
  • Car hire;
  • Banks and financial institutions;
  • Hardware, nurseries and building supplies;
  • Agricultural and rural supplies;
  • Pet supplies;
  • Post offices and newsagents; and
  • Office supplies.

We will provide further details when full details of the Chief Medical Officers directions are available.

Victoria has introduced a snap five-day lockdown from 11.59 pm on Thursday 15 July 2021.  At this time, restrictions conclude 11.59 pm next Tuesday.

Full details of the lockdown restrictions can be found here 210715 – Table of Restrictions_0

New Lockdown for Victoria from Tonight

Premier Daniel Andrews has just announced a new lockdown for Victoria. Details are not yet on the website.

According to news reports, the state-wide restrictions will be enforced from 11.59 pm tonight until 11.59 pm next Tuesday night.

Andrews said the lockdown would be “identical” to the most recent one in the state.  “If you were authorised to work then, you will be authorised to work now. If you were closed then, you will be closed now,” he said.

As of 11.59 pm tonight, there will be only five reasons to leave home:

1. Essential shopping
2. Authorised work
3. Exercise (two-hour limit with one other person)
4. Care-giving
5. Getting vaccinated

Parts of regional Victoria could potentially leave the five-day lockdown early, depending on the results.

We will provide additional details when they are available.

COVID Business Update

Despite a lot going on on the COVID front at this time, there have been no material changes to business conditions in any state since our last communication. However, as this message is being written, the ABC’s website discusses a potential “short” lockdown in Melbourne from midnight tonight.

Support Payments in NSW

Importantly, in NSW, there have been Government announcements over the past 48 hours of introducing COVID relief support payments for businesses and workers.

Payments for Impacted Workers

For workers who have lost income due to the NSW, COVID lockdown may be eligible for the COVID-19 Disaster Payment.  Fundamentally these payments require applicants to meet several criteria, including:

• Being an Australian resident or hold an eligible working visa
• Being 17 years of age or older
• Not receiving an income support payment, ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Dad and Partner Pay or Parental Leave Pay
• Not already receiving a Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment, a state or territory pandemic payment or a state small business payment for the same period

Those seeking COVID-19 Disaster Payment information can find information here https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/covid-19-disaster-payment/who-can-get-it/nsw-eligibility-rules/greater-sydney

In the Prime Minister’s recent press announcement, he stated that from tomorrow (Thursday), residents of the Bayside, City of Sydney, Canada Bay, Inner West, Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra local government areas can go to myGov.au and make an application for the $600 and $375 support payments.  You will need a MyGov account to claim.  Accounts can be created here https://my.gov.au/LoginServices/main/login?execution=e4s1

ACWA remains unsure if these payments are available to workers on International Student Visas. Despite attempts to contact authorities, we have been unable to get through at such a hectic time.  For those interested in pursuing information, there is an enquiry number established specifically for non-Australian residents.  They should phone 180 22 66.

Business Support Payments

The NSW Government is offering financial support for businesses impacted by the recent COVID-19 restrictions and stay-at-home orders.  If your car wash has been impacted , you may be eligible to apply from 19 July 2021.

The following grants may be of interest to NSW based members:

• COVID-19 Business Grants  – Businesses and sole traders in the Greater Sydney COVID-19 restrictions area may be able for grants of up to $15,000 from 19 July 2021.
• Saving Jobs Support Program – A joint NSW and Commonwealth Governments initiative designed to maintain staff employment for small and medium businesses impacted by the current health restrictions.

Members should go to the Services NSW website to register their interest https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/covid-19-business-support-2021

ACWA’s Industrial Relations Specialists ESSA have confirmed details for the 2021 Annual Wage Review.

The new rates, including changes, are reflected in the updated details on the ACWA website https://acwa.net.au/members/. The most recent wage rates calculations can be quickly located by clicking on Quick-Find – Wage Rates, Templates, Manuals and Business Essentials in the left-hand navigation panel.

We take this opportunity to remind car wash operators that employers must comply with minimum wage and Award obligations. There are severe penalties for non-compliance. The revised rates come into effect from the first pay period commencing on or the first pay period on or after 1 July 2021.