Thousands of workers in high-risk settings who miss work because they have tested positive for COVID-19 will soon no longer be eligible for federal financial support.
Thousands of health and disability workers have been excluded from a COVID-19 pandemic payment scheme, after the federal government moved to narrow the eligibility criteria.
Currently, workers who have taken unpaid leave because of COVID-19 in a range of high-risk settings including the aged care, disability care, aboriginal healthcare and hospital care sectors are eligible for a lump sump payment of up to $750.
But from Saturday, the High Risk Settings Pandemic Payment scheme will be replaced by a new Commonwealth program, which is only available to aged care workers.
Health Minister Mark Butler said those workers could receive the same payment of up to $750 directly from their employer if they contract COVID-19, but do not have leave entitlements.
"Obviously that is about providing support to those workers," he said.
"But importantly, it's also about making sure that if they contract COVID there is no disincentive from them isolating and not going to work and potentially exposing residents of their aged care facility to a virus that is very dangerous for the most vulnerable members of our community in aged care."
The move leaves thousands of healthcare and disability workers who contract COVID-19 but do not have any sick leave without any financial support.
Impact on disability carers
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten told Afternoon Briefing he was examining the impact of the decision on workers in the sector.
"As I understand the decision is about high-risk settings and it's been put to me that in crowded aged care facilities that's a particular vector for the risk of COVID," he said.
"I'm going to talk with the workforce and with the Department of Social Services and other people in the government that if there is a high-risk setting that health identifies, then I think we will need to be consistent for people who work in high-risk settings.
"It's a matter of getting the definition right.
"A lot of disability carers are casually employed [and] they don't have a lot of leave, but we do need to work out what is the criteria that health experts are saying high-risk settings.
"But for people in the world of disability certainly I'm listening to them and we'll just work through and see what implications there are for the people in my part of the world."
The federal government has been progressively winding down financial support for people who have lost work due to COVID-19.
Payments of up to $750 were first introduced in August 2020 for people who tested positive for COVID-19 but did not have access to sick leave.
That scheme came to an end last year, with the government instead introducing targeted financial support for workers in high-risk settings.
At the time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese argued it was not sustainable to have a system in place where the government "steps in permanently".
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly on Thursday warned more COVID-19 surges would impact Australians over the coming months.
"We will see more waves, we've seen a very slight increase over the last few weeks," he said.
"We've got a ripple at the moment whether that will turn into a wave ... it's difficult to predict to the stage.
"But certainly, there has been an increase in numbers over the last few weeks as mentioned, but off a very low base."
