ACT school and early childhood staff will receive priority vaccine boosters when the Canberra Airport vaccination clinic reopens next Monday, the ACT Government announced today.
The Australian Education Union – ACT Branch welcomed the news, but branch secretary Patrick Judge said it did not address the most significant challenges for staffing levels and school attendance.
The union wants the government to provide free rapid antigen testing to all teachers, and to maintain and even improve last year’s COVID-safe measures.
“AEU members have done outstanding work to ensure that education continues during this pandemic,” Mr Judge said. “We are right to demand that our health and safety is prioritised, our profession respected and that we have the best working conditions possible.”
Vaccinations at the airport
From Monday 24 January, the airport clinic will prioritise booster appointments for school teachers, education staff, early childhood educators, and care workers working with children. They will be eligible to receive their booster three months after their primary vaccination course.
ACT Education Minister, Yvette Berry said these school and early childhood staff were being prioritised as part of measures to create a COVID-safe Term One for schools and early childhood education centres.
“We have taken this sensible and proactive step to protect our workforce, but also to give children – particularly those that are too young to be fully vaccinated – the best protection that we can against COVID-19,” Ms Berry said.
“This measure will help us to further reduce the risks associated with COVID-19 in our schools and early childhood settings and assist in supporting a COVID-safe return to school for Term One.”
Teachers’ union wants COVID-safe measures for schools
The AEU ACT wants the ACT Government to provide free rapid antigen tests (RATs) to all staff.
“As school returns, whether it is on-campus or online, we face significant numbers of absences as staff and students either contract Covid-19 or are required to isolate and await test results,” Mr Judge said.
“While National Cabinet announced exemptions from isolation requirements for school staff who return negative test results, the exemption is meaningless without sufficient, free rapid antigen tests being provided to school staff.
“We expect that the ACT Government will, as an employer, provide free rapid antigen tests to all staff if it intends to implement the exemption from isolation requirements or otherwise use testing as a health and safety monitoring measure.”
Based on their discussions with the ACT Government, Mr Judge said the AEU ACT expected COVID-safe measures employed during Term Four (2021) to remain in place.
The ACT Government is planning with key stakeholders across the health, education and early childhood sectors, a spokesperson said. Schools and early childhood education centres would have clear guidelines, and these would be published online.
To meet the challenges the new variant presented, the union also wanted the government to improve ventilation, personal protective equipment, and workplace health and safety monitoring.
Where there were high levels of staff or student absences, the union expected schools might need to transition between different methods of on-campus delivery, or move to remote learning.
“We understand the successful operation of our schools requires the support of our teaching workforce, which has been extremely flexible throughout the pandemic,” an ACT Government spokesperson stated.
The spokesperson said the government was in a “productive and open” dialogue with key stakeholder groups across government and non-government school sectors – including the Australian Education Union – planning for students to return to on-campus learning in Term One.
“Throughout the pandemic, the Education Directorate has undertaken planning to ensure our schools are ready for a range of scenarios, including remote learning. Work on these plans is continuous, and the Directorate holds regular discussions on these plans with stakeholders – including the P&C Council, unions and the Catholic and Independent school sectors.”
The ACT Government will decide this week whether ACT public schools will return as planned next month.
Mr Judge said the union expected the ACT Government to decide on the return to school in consultation with the AEU and its members. The union was having “productive discussions” with the ACT Education Directorate about that return, he said.
A spokesperson said the ACT Government planned for school to return on campus and on time – as scheduled. The government will make the final decision, including information about the use of RATs, later this week, based on the latest health advice.
Chief Minister: Vaccination is the answer
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said vaccination was the best way to prevent serious illness and to reduce transmission and disease.
Around one quarter of five- to 11-year-old children had already had their first vaccination in the program’s first week.
“We are planning for school return for Term One,” Mr Barr said. “All five- to 11-year-olds in the ACT will have the opportunity to get a first dose before school goes back.”
The ACT Education Directorate will contact eligible education staff or their employer with details on how to book their appointment.
From next week, the general public can also make their booster appointments at the Canberra Airport site online using MyDHR or by contacting the Vaccination Booking Line on 5124 7700 (7am to 7pm, daily).
Like the AIS clinic, free public transport to and from the Canberra Airport vaccination clinic will be available. People can catch Transport Canberra bus Route 3 to reach the clinic.
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