Coronavirus (COVID-19) – links & resources
The spread of a novel (new) coronavirus (COVID-19) continues in Australia. On this page you will find useful resources grouped under the various headings (health, food safety, financial assistance, workplace information, specific industry information).
According to SafeWork Australia, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic. You can find the latest news in our Australian and International sections, and Members can find a blog here, where we post regular updates.
Avocados Australia is compiling a list of national resources. Where possible, the links below go directly to the COVID-19 relevant page.
Key links
- Avocados Australia has further curated a list of suggestions for orchards and packsheds HERE.
- Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) – given the current demand for Covid-19 test kits there is a shortage of RATs. Businesses are encouraged to pre-order the test kits using this bulk suppliers list here
- COVID-19 Hotspots and Border Zone Declaration – To access the full list of restricted and non-restricted Border Zone LGAs throughout Australia, as at 7 January 2022, click here.
- For a summary of national ag activities, visit the Department of Agriculture, Water & Environment website.
- For a summary of national health updates, visit the Department of Health.
- National Farmers Federation workplace guide, click here.
- Covid-19 Restriction Checker launched by the Federal government, which is a new online tool to help you find what restrictions apply in each state/territory – click here to access.
- National map of heavy vehicle driver testing facilities, service centres and roadhouses that are still open during the COVID-19 trading restrictions, click here.
Some Essential Workers can return to work
- National Cabinet agreed to the importance of keeping critical sectors open and agreed to extend the furlough arrangements in place for food and grocery supply chain workers to other sectors. Read the National Cabinet media statement in full here.
- Each state and territory will implement these changes to close contact arrangements for essential workers under respective state and territory public health orders and equivalent arrangements.
- Changes will be made to include essential workers in a range of sectors this list includes all transport, freight, logistics and food (including farming, production, and provision). For the full list click here.
- Some essential workers can return to work given certain requirements. Some states have online information about the requirements, they are:
VIC
A Safe And Sensible Return To Work For Essential WorkersNSW
Critical worker self-isolation exemption guidance
QLD
Critically Essential Worker requirements
Tasmania
Temporary exemption from close contact quarantine for critical workers
Health information
- Australian Government Department of Health
- Information for employers – Australian Government Department of Health (PDF link)
- Australian Medical Association
- Comcare – Australian Government
- Symptoms & prevention factsheet – Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland
- For mental health and wellbeing strategies, visit
- this DAWE page for information about available social support and wellbeing
- lifeline.org.au, or call 13 11 14 (24/7), text 0477 13 11 14 (6pm-midnight AEDT), chat online www.lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat (7pm-midnight)
- beyondblue.org.au, or call 1300 22 46 36 (24/7), chat online www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/get-immediate-support
Export
On 1 April 2020, the Australian Government announced support for air freight into key markets including Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and the UAE from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. For the latest on the International Freight Assistance Mechanism, including scheduled flights, click here. (This support mechanism has been extended several times, check the link for the latest end date.)
Food safety
- Food safety and coronavirus – Food Standards Australia New Zealand
- Produce Marketing Association Australia-New Zealand – read their 20 March 2020 release here
- Wash your fresh produce with water not soap – Fresh Produce Safety Centre
- Scroll down to the workplace heading for more business-related content.
Financial assistance (Federal)
- Australian Government stimulus resources
- A full list of factsheets from the Treasury,
- JobKeeper at the ATO: information on applying the turnover test (basic and alternative). Note JobKeeper round 2 ended in March 2021.
- Australian Government business support
- Business support – Australian Government
- A full list of factsheets from the Treasury,
- Support available via the Australian Tax Office – you can also call 1800 806 218, or call 13 14 15 for help in languages other than English, and those with issues hearing or speaking can use the National Relay Service
Financial assistance (by State)
- South Australia: small to medium business grants, $600/week worker support payments for regional areas (Adelaide workers will receive Federal support). Updated 22/7/2021
- New South Wales: business support grants, and worker support here. Updated 22/7/2021
- Victoria: cash grants for businesses, and worker support, here. Updated 22/7/2021
- Queensland: business assistance finder.
- Western Australia: business support details here. Updated 20/6/2021
- Tasmania: text business support here, employee information here. Updated 22/7/2021
- Northern Territory: business grants here. Updated 22/7/2021
Labour
The Australian Government is making a number of changes to temporary visa holder arrangements during the coronavirus crisis in order to protect the health of our community, safeguard job opportunities for Australians, support critical industries, and assist with rapid recovery.
- The Australian Government is offering a Relocation Assistance to Take up a Job assistance from 1 December 2020. We’ve put information about this assistance and the various state assistance on our page for jobseekers, click here.
- As well as the national assistance, there are also programs from various state governments.
Workplace information
- Australian Government
- Audits
- Fair Farms (PDF link)
- Freshcare updates & resources
- If it is possible for the auditor to conduct your on-site audit, it should be undertaken when scheduled.
- If restrictions do not permit your audit to be undertaken, Freshcare Certification Bodies have provisions in place to provide certificate extensions up six months. Click here to read more about when this is possible.
- Harmonised Australian Retailer Produce Scheme (HARPS)
- SEDEX
- Close vs casual contact
- A casual contact is someone who has been in the same general area as someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus while infectious. Click here for the factsheet (PDF)
- A close contact is someone who has been face-to-face for at least 15 minutes or been in the same closed space for at least 2 hours, as someone who has tested positive for the COVID-19 when that person was infectious. Click here for the factsheet (PDF)
- Business continuity webinar series – Queensland Agriculture & BDO
- Business operations
- The National Farmers Federation has now released version 1 of its COVID-19 workplace guide. Click here to access. The guide covers: general practices, access to labour and workforce planning, WHS obligations, industrial relations, and a COVID-19 personal disclosure statement template.
- Click here for a base list of workplace safety measures from the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment
- COVID-19 and fresh produce – protecting your workforce (a PDF guide from PMA-ANZ, including tips for packshed and picking crews)
- COVID-19 and the fresh produce industry (a PDF guide from PMA-ANZ)
- Safe Food Queensland guidelines and checklist for reducing workplace impacts. These are generally applicable, but please note they are Queensland-based. The guidelines include examples with horticulture businesses.
- COVID-19 workplace guide (from Australian Pork, generally applicable)
- Example of a daily workplace health check from Brisbane Markets (please assess carefully if suitable for your own operations
- Workplace measures from the US and the UK (via HortiDaily)
- Click here for a curated list of resources from Hort Innovation
- Check the list below for ag specific materials from Safe Work Australia
- Fair Work Commission
- FairWork Ombudsman
- Coronavirus and Australian workplace laws
- FWO also has a special COVID-19 phone facility via its 13 13 94 hotline
- Inputs update
- Graingrowers is maintaining an update from input suppliers, with regard to supply. Click here.
- Safe Work Australia
- Collated agriculture resources
- Information on preparing for COVID-19 and managing risk
- Agriculture: minimising the risk
- Workplace checklist – to help employers identify what to do in the workplace
- How to keep workers safe – a fact sheet overview of what employers need to do
- Small business hub from Safe Work Australia
- World Health Organization
- Other
- Coronavirus and Australian Workplace Laws, as well as Candidate Pre-Screening and Pandemic Recruitment Contingency Plan (PDF link) – from AUSVEG and HR Global Solutions, Melbourne (Note: Avocados Australia recommends you do your own research and make your own business decisions on any services offered)
Managing the risks from COVID-19
The model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws require a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their workers and others at the workplace. This includes providing and maintaining a work environment that is without risk to health and safety.
To comply with the model WHS laws, PCBUs must identify hazards at the workplace and the associated risks, and do what is reasonably practicable to eliminate those risks, or where this is not reasonably practicable, to minimise those risks.
Whether a control measure is reasonably practicable to implement involves consideration of what is able to be done to manage a risk and whether it is reasonable in the circumstances to do so. The likelihood of the risk occurring, the degree of harm that might result and the availability and suitability of a control measure are key considerations in determining what measures are reasonable. Further general guidance is available in the model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities (LINK).
Exposure to COVID-19 is a potential hazard for workers and other people at workplaces. PCBUs must have measures in place to protect worker health and safety and manage these risks.
PCBUs need to keep up to date with the latest COVID-19 information and advice to ensure that any action taken is measured and appropriate. This includes closely monitoring the Australian Government Department of Health, the Smartraveller website and any advice from state or territory government agencies.
Depending on the workplace, an appropriate range of actions may include:
- providing clear advice to workers about actions staff members should take if they become unwell or think they may have the symptoms of coronavirus, in accordance with advice from the Australian Government Department of Health and state or territory health department
- eliminating or minimising international work travel, in line with the travel advice on the Australian Government’s Smartraveller website
- providing regular updates to workers about the situation and any changes to organisational policies or procedures
- contingency planning to manage staff absences.
Workers also have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect the health and safety of others. Workers should be reminded to always practice good hygiene and other measures to protect themselves and other against infection. This includes:
- washing their hands often, with soap and water, or carrying hand sanitiser and using it as needed
- covering their mouth when coughing or sneezing, but not using their hands to do so
- seeing a health care professional if they start to feel unwell
- if unwell, avoiding contact with others (including shaking hands or other touching, such as hugging).
Date Published: 19/03/2020