BULOKE Shire is one of six regional local government areas to trial a vaccine passport next month.
Regional areas with high vaccination rates and low to no COVID-19 cases will be involved.
Buloke will be joined by Greater Bendigo, Warrnambool, Pyrenees, and East Gippsland in the two-week trial.
Participating venues such as cafes, pubs, hairdressing salons, tourism attractions, events, race meetings and community celebrations can have more patrons if they can confirm all people on site are fully vaccinated.
The trial is set to begin on October 11, with participating Buloke businesses set to be announced on Friday.
Buloke Shire Mayor Daryl Warren said peak bodies would select the businesses that would be involved.
“We may not have businesses that the peak bodies consider to be included, but we’re pretty happy that Buloke has been selected for the trial because we’ve had good vaccination rates and zero COVID-19 cases,” Cr Warren said.
Early this week 91.5 per cent of eligible people had received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 64.9 per cent had had their second.
Cr Warren said the trial would use a targeted and discreet process to see how the technology worked, how staff would cope, and the training required.
But he questioned how residents who were not technologically savvy would access their passport.
“Do they have to carry a bit of paper?” he said.
Cr Warren said the pandemic had been a challenging time for Buloke Shire.
“You’ve had businesses going in and out of lockdown all the time,” he said.
“The impact on the tourism sector has been huge.”
Cr Warren said the pandemic also affected the shire’s staff, some of whom were living in New South Wales, and others still needing to provide a service.
He said sporting clubs had also struggled.
Wycheproof Bakery on Broadway co-owner Ann Durie said the business was happy to be involved in the trial, but said it would be onerous on the staff, especially when they were busy,
“I think it’s great, but we are already making everyone wear a mask, as well as having to sign in,” Ms Durie said.
“We’d do it, but it’s just another thing we have to do.
“I wouldn’t like to exclude anyone not double-vaccinated.”
Ms Durie said one of the hardest things would be dealing with customers who reacted negatively to being turned away.
“We do get that now, such as with people not wanting to wear masks, saying things like ‘I’m from Mildura, there’s no COVID-19 there, I don’t need to wear a mask’,” she said.
“We cater for medical exemptions.
“If it’s busy we’ll ask them to wait outside.”
She said enforcement was also a big ask for young, school-aged staff members.
Ms Durie said she believed some customers would happily comply.
“We have people coming in and thanking us that we ask for identification, because they agree with all that,” she said.
Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp said the Victorian Government would work with local councils and industry peaks bodies to identify suitable businesses, venues and events for the trials.
Victoria is expected to reach 70 per cent full vaccination on October 26, when many greater freedoms will be linked to vaccination.
The trials will confirm the best processes for establishing vaccination status, with work under way on how Commonwealth vaccination data can best be integrated with the Service Victoria app.
Training for staff, support for business owners and public communication of vaccine requirements will also be part of the trials.
Support officers will be on the ground to ensure trials run smoothly and participating businesses receive the assistance they need.
