Victorians Who Get Sacked For Not Getting Vaccinated Will Be Eligible For $750 Per Week

Unvaccinated Victorians who get sacked for not getting the Covid-19 jab will be entitled to weekly disaster payments.

The state government introduced a new measure last week that requires all staff on the Approved Workers List to have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by October 15 and be fully vaccinated by November 26.

If they don't, then they could face being fired. The ruling affects hundreds of thousands of people and they don't have long before the new law takes effect.

As a result, the Andrews government has reportedly cooked up a system to ensure these people aren't financially ruined by not getting the jab.

The Herald Sun reports unvaccinated residents will be able to access $750 per week in welfare to keep them afloat until they're able to get the vaccine or until other restrictions ease.

That's the maximum amount an affected Victorian will be entitled to and it's only available if they lose 20 hours of work or more a week.

People who lose between eight to 20 hours of work as a result of being unvaccinated will be able to get $450 a week.

A spokesperson for Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie told News Corp: "If a person is temporarily stood down, they may be eligible for Covid-19 disaster payment if they meet the eligibility criteria.

"People are encouraged to test their eligibility with Services Australia for other support payments if they are not eligible for the Covid-19 disaster payment."

These disaster payments are expected to be available until the state reaches 80 per cent of its population over the age of 16 vaccinated.

Once that milestone is reached, the handouts will be phased out over a two week period.

Premier Daniel Andrews said getting Victorians vaccinated was their ticket out of lockdowns and restrictions.

He said in a statement last week: "As we move through Victoria's Plan to Deliver the National Roadmap, we will see more pressure on our health system than we ever have. It is still crucial we continue to protect our health system from being overwhelmed.

"Our nurses, doctors, ambos and all of our health workers are working their guts out to be there for us and they need us all to do our bit."

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie