Restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne, Mitchell Shire, City of Greater Shepparton, Moorabool Shire and City of Latrobe
(Latrobe City local government area (LGA) will emerge from lockdown on Tuesday at 11:59pm)

Changes have been introduced to slow the spread of COVID-19 by reducing the number of people leaving their homes and moving around Victoria.
You cannot leave your home other than for one of the six following reasons:

• shopping for necessary goods and services (once per day, one person per household)
• caregiving or compassionate reasons, including medical care or http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/node/15065">to get a COVID-19 test
• http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/authorised-provider-and-authorised-worker-list">authorised work (with a permit) or permitted education
• exercise (once a day for up to 4 hours, and that 4 hours includes any time spent outdoors socialising in limited groups)
• outdoor social interaction in limited groups (once a day for up to 4 hours, and that 4 hours includes any time spent on exercise)
• http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/getting-tested">to get a COVID-19 vaccination (provided the distance travelled, and the time taken is no more than is absolutely necessary)

Restrictions in regional Victoria (except Mitchell Shire, City of Greater Shepparton, Moorabool Shire and City of Latrobe) 
(Latrobe City local government area (LGA) will emerge from lockdown on Tuesday at 11:59pm)

• There are no restrictions on the reasons to leave home but staying COVIDSafe remains important.
• Residents of regional Victoria must not travel to metropolitan Melbourne (or Mitchell Shire, City of Greater Shepparton, Moorabool Shire and City of Latrobe), other than for permitted reasons. These include:
  • for http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/authorised-provider-and-authorised-worker-permit">authorised work or permitted education
  • to visit an intimate partner
  • for care and compassionate reasons, including permitted child minding
  • to access necessary goods and services provided they are from the facility that is closest to where you live
  • other limited reasons such as moving house

Victorian Border Crossing Permit directions
The Victorian Border Crossing Permit Directions (No. 33) come into force at 11:59:00pm on 29 September 2021 and end at 11:59:00pm on 21 October 2021. They replace the Victorian Border Crossing Permit Directions (No. 32). Click here to view the Victorian Border Crossing Permit directions (No 33.)

Victorian Government Vaccination brochure
Please see the attached information brochure from the Victorian Government with FAQs on Vaccinations which may be useful. Download here...

Victoria’s Roadmap- Delivering the National Plan
The Roadmap has been developed based on expert modelling from the Burnet Institute and is set against COVID-19 thresholds including hospitalisation rates, and the vaccination targets already set out in the National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response. Visit the Coronavirus website for more information on the Victorian Roadmap.

Restrictions in Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire

Changes have been introduced to slow the spread of COVID-19 by reducing the number of people leaving their homes and moving around Victoria. You cannot leave your home other than for one of the six following reasons:

• shopping for necessary goods and services
• caregiving or compassionate reasons, including medical care or http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/node/15065">to get a COVID-19 test
• http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/authorised-provider-and-authorised-worker-list">authorised work (with a permit) or permitted education
• exercise (once a day for up to 4 hours, and that 4 hours includes any time spent outdoors socialising in limited groups)
• outdoor social interaction in limited groups (once a day for up to 4 hours, and that 4 hours includes any time spent on exercise)
• http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/getting-tested">to get a COVID-19 vaccination (provided the distance travelled, and the time taken is no more than is absolutely necessary)

 

Restrictions in regional Victoria (except Mitchell Shire)

• There are no restrictions on the reasons to leave home but staying COVIDSafe remains important.
• Residents of regional Victoria must not travel to metropolitan Melbourne (or Mitchell Shire), other than for permitted reasons. These include:
  • for http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/authorised-provider-and-authorised-worker-permit">authorised work or permitted education
  • to visit an intimate partner
  • for care and compassionate reasons, including permitted child minding
  • to access necessary goods and services provided they are from the facility that is closest to where you live
  • other limited reasons such as moving house

Victorian Border Crossing Permit directions
The Victorian Border Crossing Permit Directions (No. 32) come into force at 11:59:00pm on 23 September 2021 and end at 11:59:00pm on 21 October 2021. They replace the Victorian Border Crossing Permit Directions (No. 31). Click here to view the Victorian Border Crossing Permit directions (No 32.)

A glimpse into the peach orchard of the future

Peaches, not surprisingly, pack a punch for Georgia’s economy.

Over 130 million pounds of peaches are produced in Georgia per year, and the Southern staple has a total farm gate value of over $71 million, according to recent estimates.

But cultivating peaches is a complex and manually-intensive process that has put a strain on many farms stretched for time and workers. To solve this problem, the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has developed an intelligent robot that is designed to handle the human-based tasks of thinning and pruning peach trees, which could result in significant cost savings for peach farms in Georgia.

“Most folks are familiar with the harvesting of fruit and picking it up at the market,” said Ai-Ping Hu, a GTRI senior research engineer who is leading the robot design project. “But there’s actually a lot more stuff that gets done before that point in the cultivation cycle.”

By using a LIDAR remote sensing system – which determines distances by targeting an object with a laser and measuring the amount of time it takes for the laser beam to reflect back – and a highly-specialized GPS technology that measures locations as specific as a fraction of an inch, the robot is able to self-navigate through peach orchards while steering clear of obstacles. Once at a peach tree, the robot uses an embedded 3D camera to determine which peaches need to be removed, and removes the peaches using a claw-like device, known as an end effector, that is connected to the end of its arm. - Read more of this Fruit Growers News article.

By 27 September 2021, employers (other than small business employers) need to assess whether any existing casual employees (employed before 27 March 2021), are eligible to be offered to convert to permanent employment.

Employers need to:

• make a written offer to convert their casual employees to permanent employment (this must be done within 21 days after making the assessment), or
• write to employees explaining why they won’t be made an offer (this needs to be done within 21 days of making the assessment but by no later than 27 September 2021).

To accept an offer to convert, employees need to respond in writing within 21 days after getting the offer. If they don’t respond, employers can assume that they’ve declined the offer.
 
Read more about casual employees becoming permanent.
 
Watch our video about the changes to casual employment laws, including how small business employers are affected and the Casual Employment Information Statement.

Visit the FWO website for further information.

Current restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne, City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire:

Changes have been introduced to slow the spread of COVID-19 by reducing the number of people leaving their homes and moving around Victoria. You cannot leave your home other than for one of the six following reasons:

• shopping for necessary goods and services
• caregiving or compassionate reasons, including medical care or http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/node/15065">to get a COVID-19 test
• http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/authorised-provider-and-authorised-worker-list">authorised work (with a permit) or permitted education
• exercise (once a day for up to 4 hours, and that 4 hours includes any time spent outdoors socialising in limited groups)
• outdoor social interaction in limited groups (once a day for up to 4 hours, and that 4 hours includes any time spent on exercise)
• http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/getting-tested">to get a COVID-19 vaccination (provided the distance travelled, and the time taken is no more than is absolutely necessary)

A stay-at-home curfew is in place for Metropolitan Melbourne. Between 9:00pm and 5:00am, you cannot leave your home (or the home of your intimate partner or bubble buddy) other than for limited reason. If you travel to metropolitan Melbourne from regional Victoria for a permitted reason, you will be required to adhere to the curfew whilst you are in metropolitan Melbourne.
 

Restrictions in regional Victoria (except City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire)

• There are no restrictions on the reasons to leave home but staying COVIDSafe remains important.
• Residents of regional Victoria must not travel to metropolitan Melbourne (or City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire), other than for permitted reasons. These include:
  • for http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/authorised-provider-and-authorised-worker-permit">authorised work or permitted education
  • to visit an intimate partner
  • for care and compassionate reasons, including permitted child minding
  • to access necessary goods and services provided they are from the facility that is closest to where you live;
  • other limited reasons such as moving house
    • While in these areas, you must comply with restrictions in place.
• There are no restrictions on travelling to other parts of regional Victoria. 
• Face masks are mandatory indoors and outdoors for people aged 12 and over and are highly recommended for primary school aged children.
• If you have any symptoms, no matter how mild, you should get tested for COVID-19.
• Businesses in regional Victoria must conduct a I.D check to ensure that patrons attending do not reside in metropolitan Melbourne (or City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire).

Victorian Border Crossing Permit directions
The Victorian Border Crossing Permit Directions (No. 31) come into force at 11:59pm on 9 September 2021 and end at 11:59pm on 23 September 2021. They replace the Victorian Border Crossing Permit Directions (No. 30). Click here to view the Victorian Border Crossing Permit directions (No 31.)

Download the Media Release from the Minister for Agriculture, Mary-Anne Thomas regarding a new agreement to continue the subsidised, demand-driven quarantine pathway as part of the Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme.