A new lockdown in Victoria is a fresh blow for the whole community who are still waiting for the state to get the basics right, Business Council chief executive Jennifer Westacott said.

“The health challenge comes first, and this is clearly a serious outbreak, but Victorians will rightly be asking how it came to this again.

“This lockdown must not be as long and destructive as the last.

“Once again the systems for managing this virus through tracking and tracing and quarantine have failed, they must be fixed as a matter of priority. 

“Our goal must be to learn from our experience dealing with the virus to avoid these kinds of confidence crushing lockdowns.

“This is a wakeup call to start taking the steps to better manage outbreaks and fast-track our vaccination roll-out.

“Businesses are also ready to partner with state governments to get people to vaccination sites, make sure they have leave to get vaccinated, provide clear information to workers and pull out all stops to get people protected.

“We also need clear, consistent health advice from health experts on the importance of vaccination and the risks of this disease, to build community confidence and accelerate the roll-out.

“We call on the National Cabinet to work with employers to get the vaccine roll-out done.

“Behind these lockdowns are families and communities being expected to bear the brunt yet again. This will place a burden on the community’s mental health, for which this government’s only solution is a tax on jobs as outlined in the Victorian budget.”