Tag Archives: oceania

WA COVID-19: Mandatory workplace vaccinations removed for some

Western Australia will scrap its mandatory workplace vaccination policy on June 10, for everyone except hospital, health, aged and disability care staff.

WA Premier Mark McGowan announced the news today as the state hit nearly 82 per cent triple vaccination rates.

"We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and certainly the highest in Australia," McGowan said.

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Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan announces mandatory COVID-19 vaccination will be scrapped from June 10.

"It's an achievement western Australians should be proud of and it's helped deliver the soft landing out of COVID we were all hoping for."

McGowan said the "soft landing" means the state has new health advice, and previous safety measures can now be phased out.

"The policy has helped us achieve the best outcomes around the world," he said.

"It's kept people out of hospital.

"Most importantly, it has saved many lives.

"We are clearly past the peak of the omicron wave."

The announcement comes one day after a deadline saw close to 1 million workers receive their third mandatory jab.

https://twitter.com/joshuadawe9/status/1531811847116320768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

More than 99 per cent of west Australian's have received one and two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Unvaccinated Australians can also enter WA without having to quarantine for seven days.

Unvaccinated international visitors are still unable to enter the country under Commonwealth rules, McGowan said.

In the last two weeks the state's COVID-19 cases have halved.

The state recorded 8201 cases of the virus in the latest 24 hour reporting period.

One person has died from the virus overnight.

Who gets a long weekend for the Queen's Birthday?

It's that time of year again when the Queen's Birthday long weekend approaches and confusion ensues.

With dates differing from state to state and the long weekend not falling on the Queen's actual natal day, many of us can be unsure whether we should prepare for a long weekend or not.

Here's a guide to who gets a sleep-in on June 13.

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Tourists enjoy June long weekend celebrations in NSW in 2020.

Who gets the long weekend?

In most Australian states and territories, the Queen's Birthday falls on Monday, June 13.

This includes New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

Most people in these states and territories will enjoy a public holiday on June 13 and therefore a long weekend, however, it depends on your terms of employment.

Western Australia and Queensland are the only states which celebrate the Queen's Birthday on a different day.

For Western Australia, it's because the state holds Western Australia Day on the first Monday of June.

The state spreads out its public holidays and this year the Queen's Birthday public holiday will fall on Monday, September 26.

In Queensland, the Queen's Birthday public holiday has been held on the first Monday of October since 2016.

This year that day will be Monday, October 3.

What will be open?

Unlike Christmas and Good Friday, most shops are open on the Queen's Birthday public holiday but may operate under altered hours.

Pubs, cafes and restaurants are allowed to stay open on the public holiday however some smaller venues may choose to close.

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Supermarkets splice image: Woolworths, Aldi, Coles

Public transport is also expected to be running as usual however may operate on a different timetable.

It's recommended to check your state or territories' public transport website to check for any changes.

When is the Queen's actual birthday?

Queen Elizabeth II's actual date of birth was April 21, 1926.

However, throughout the UK and Commonwealth (which includes Australia, New Zealand and Canada) a different date was chosen to be the Queen's (or King's) Official Birthday.

This official birthday was first celebrated during the reign of King George II in 1748.

Since then, the birthday has been celebrated on different days in different countries who acknowledge it.

Edward VII, who reigned from 1901-1910, moved the date to June in hopes of enjoying the celebrations in better weather in the UK.

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II receives the President of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis and his wife Paola Cassis during an audience at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on April 28, 2022. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool Photo via AP, File)

This is because his actual birthday was in November which is during the wet and cold British winter.

Australia celebrated the Official Birthday on the same day as the monarch's actual birthday from 1788 until 1936.

After that, the government decided to follow the UK to a mid-year date to space out public holidays more evenly.