The WA Government will partner with the Commonwealth Government to deliver the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment to Western Australians in the event Western Australia experiences an outbreak of COVID-19.
This payment arrangement provides support to workers living in WA who can’t earn an income because they must self-isolate, quarantine or care for someone who has COVID-19, and do not have access to income such as paid leave or other Commonwealth Government payments.
Western Australians who are eligible will receive a lump sum of $1,500 for every 14 days they cannot work.
The payment can be received multiple times and if health officials instruct them to quarantine for a period longer than 14 days.
The solution, which was agreed to by the WA Government, can be accessed to avoid challenges, as experienced in jurisdictions like Victoria, where people continued to work and not isolate or quarantine as they should have been.
The Commonwealth will cover all payments for eligible Australian citizens and permanent residents that live in WA. The cost of providing the payment to eligible temporary visa holders in the State will be met by the WA Government. All payments will be administered through Services Australia.
Other jurisdictions that have a similar arrangement with the Commonwealth include Victoria and Tasmania and some border communities on the east coast.
Earlier on in the pandemic, the WA Government introduced COVID-19 leave for public sector workers which provides up to 20 days paid leave.
The WA Government also supported a COVID-19 General Order issued by the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission, which grants all State system private sector employees, including casual staff, up to two weeks’ unpaid pandemic leave to cover periods they are required to self-isolate by government or medical authorities.
These initiatives were introduced to further give Western Australian workers peace-of-mind knowing there were leave arrangements available to them should they be impacted by COVID-19.
Source: WA Government