Jennifer Westacott, AO, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, shared learnings from the Australian business community over the past four months.
"When it comes to Omicron, New Zealand has the enormous advantage of being able to learn from the things we’ve done well in Australia and those we haven’t," says Jennifer. "My strong advice is to act now."
Jennifer was quick to point out the impacts to business in Australia when Omicron hit and the old Delta restrictions were in play – absenteeism rose to 40 per cent across some sectors crippling supply chains. She urged New Zealand to learn from the impacts of Omicron on Australian workforces and work quickly.
Other learnings included the importance of having access to skilled migrants and open borders, including re-introducing working holiday and student visas – but also pointing out the importance of having complimentary schemes so as not to cannibalise the labour market between the two nations.
She told the audience they also needed to step up to provide greater guidance on return-to-work policies, especially for those occupying CBD spaces, and work closely with government to ensure better, more meaningful information to inform decision making.
Hosted by OCS New Zealand and facilitated by former Prime Minister Sir Bill English, the forum provided an opportunity for business leaders across every sector of the economy to hear the steps required to mitigate the looming Omicron crisis.
OCS Australia New Zealand managing director Gareth Marriott says the facilities management services company was delighted to have been able to pull the forum together at short notice.
"We’re all in this together," says Gareth. "We need to find solutions to protect the community; it’s about sharing the learnings so we can all prepare, react decisively and support each other to keep our people employed, our businesses profitable and our economy buoyant."
BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope says the forum provided an opportunity to hear from someone with their finger on the pulse of the business sector and added his support for Jennifer’s recommendations.
"One of the key impacts of operating in a Covid environment is uncertainty," says Kirk. "If we can get the information and support we need from government we can move decisively and provide surety for our people, painting that long-term picture."
