Accountants ‘insulted’ by Victoria's 11th hour vaccine backflip

Late last week, the Victorian Department of Health confirmed for ifa that accountants and financial advisers had to have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by midnight 22 October to attend their office or usual work premises.

The department reminded that, according to the rules, professional services workers, including accountants, must be fully vaccinated by midnight on 26 November 2021, unless a medical exemption applies.

However, this information was not relayed to the accounting bodies.

According to CPA senior manager business policy, Gavan Ord, the government is in the wrong.

“The government’s interpretation is incorrect,” Mr Ord told the ifa.

“Accounting services such as tax advice and business advice do not meet the definition of a 'financial service' under section 766A of the Corporations Act, nor are such services connected with the provision of a financial service under that section.”

Although acknowledging that the government’s “11th hour change” has very little practical impact, Mr Ord is outraged by the seeming disregard shown to the accounting profession.

“Given what Premier Andrews has said, we understand that the concept of authorised workers will cease to exist from 6pm on Friday and anyone working from an office after that must be vaccinated. So, the Victorian government’s 11th hour change has little practical impact. But the level of disregard shown by the government to the accounting profession is disgraceful,” Mr Ord said.

Similarly, the Institute of Public Accountant’s (IPA) general manager of technical policy, Tony Greco, branded the department’s inclusion of accountants in the authorised worker definition as insulting.

“From the beginning accountants have been excluded from the authorised worker list throughout the pandemic even though we were providing vital services helping businesses access government support which significantly elevated work levels,” said Mr Greco.

“To include accountants in the definition of authorised workers at the 11th hour when restrictions are about to be lifted borders on insulting/insensitive, when you consider that this is what we were asking for all along.”

The ifa original story, titled ‘Victoria’s health department confirms ‘advisers must be vaccinated to attend work premises’, was published based on information obtained from the Department of Health, which established that accountants and advisers could only attend their offices if vaccinated.

“Accountants and other financial services providers must work from home if they can,” a spokesperson for the department said.

“They can only attend their office or usual work premises if it is not reasonably practical to work from home and they have either had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or hold a medical exemption.”

The department confirmed that, according to the directive, professional services workers, including accountants and other financial services providers, must be fully vaccinated by midnight on 26 November 2021, unless a medical exemption applies.