National Cabinet reveals agreed in principle plan to reopen Australia

At this stage – the suppression phase – there are two simultaneous targets to be achieved before moving to Phase B – the transition phase. This means that 70% of eligible adults must be fully vaccinated (double shots) nationally AND in each State and Territory.

There are no dates associated with the plan, although the Prime Minister said he believed 70% was achievable by the end of the year.

To date, 39.9% of eligible adults have received at least one dose, and 18% of eligible adults are fully vaccinated. As a sweetener, the Prime Minister has said that fully vaccinated adults will receive special privileges – with details around what those might look like to be worked out in consultation with the States and Territories. There will also be incentives rolled out to help achieve those targets.

We outline the phases and the COVID measures we can expect as we move through the plan below.

A clear message from our panel was that while there are some circumstances where you can require your people to be vaccinated, it’s important to be careful about the information you request and being clear in how you communicate your policies and requirements around COVID-safety.

Please reach out if you have any questions around what this means for your business and to plan ahead as we move through the four phases.