VACC has created a letter template for members to distribute to customers, following reports of police advising motorists that automotive is not an essential service during lockdown.
Members are urged to print the letter on their business letterhead and distribute to customers.
Download template
The content of the template is detailed below:
[Date]
Dear Customer,
Please be advised that the advice and legislation quoted below allows for you to visit our non-restricted retail operation:
Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic), Section 20, Clause 6 (1) (Viii) ‘Leaving premises to obtain necessary goods and services’ where it states that a person can leave a premises to obtain goods and services provided by:
(viii) a retail facility that is not prohibited from operating by the Restricted Activity Directions.
Further, our industry body, the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) has also forwarded urgent correspondence stating industry concern regarding the confused messaging from Victoria Police to the Office of the Minister for Police, The Hon Lisa Neville MP.
VACC has been provided with advice back from the Office of the Minister for Police that states:
‘VACC is correct in that the automotive trade is not being prohibited from work or opening, so staff can work, and customers engage as appropriate and consistent with the CHO requirements around density quotients and physical distancing.
Accordingly, the Office of the Minister for Police has provided VACC's correspondence to the Chief Commissioner’s office to ensure it informs the ongoing messaging to police members during this time.
In addition, police officers are not meant to be stopping people from travelling for work or restricting trade of businesses that can and should remain open as long as they are maintaining density quotients and physical distancing’.
If you have been ordered to not visit our premises by a law enforcement or other government appointed representative we ask that you take the details of that office, person etc for VACC to pursue.
Automotive retail is not mandated as a restricted or prohibited business by the Victorian Chief Health Officer.
Our business practices appropriate COVID-19 density and sanitisation requirements.
Yours sincerely,
[Name]
[Position]
[Business name]
Additionally, VACC members are encouraged to submit details of specific instances where police officers have not conformed to guidelines, to allow for quick identification as to where the message needs to be reinforced.