NSW Customer Service Minister – Victor Dominello, is currently managing the roll out of a COVID-19 Vaccine Passport that could potentially be in use in the next few weeks. Whether or not this will actually occur is anyone’s guess at this stage. The current talk is that the QR code check-in will soon be linked with a vaccination status, through the Service NSW app.

Dominello has also confirmed that businesses will not need to police the vaccine passport and to call the police on anyone who fails to use the QR check-in, or who enters premises without being vaccinated. However, there are potential penalties for failing to ensure customers do check-in. The maximum penalty for companies is 500 penalty units, or $55,000, and 250 penalty units, or $27,500 for each day the offence continues

To avoid any discrimination (and realistically, partially in protest), some businesses such as Rashay’s are not opening their doors to dine ins until the 1^st of December – which is when un-vaccinated residents are allowed to do so. However, that is not a commercial option for most, so it may simply be a matter of opening and monitoring check-ins. That is not the end of the matter though for workplace relations, dealing with heckling customers over the vaccination status of staff, or discrimination claims from un-vaccinated patrons, which will still be concerns at least until 1 December 2021.