Failed vaccine roll out leaves schools, communities unsafe

Today, union leaders from the United Workers Union, Australian Education Union and Independent Education Union of Australia have written to Minister Hunt, calling for higher prioritisation and urgent access to vaccination for teachers, educators and support staff in schools and early learning centres.

At the moment, the Federal Government has no clear path of the COVID-19 mess and has not included teachers and educators in a higher priority category to access vaccination as essential workers. Recent outbreaks resulting in lockdowns has revealed the critical role schools and early learning services play in supporting children and families and their communities. Teachers, educators and education support staff are feeling overwhelming stress and anxiety as a result of safety concerns and increased workloads to manage impacts of lockdowns and remote learning.

The fastest way to minimise the impact of any future COVID outbreaks on the community is to ensure that schools and early leaning services can remain open with fully vaccinated staff.