Wesfarmers has made the decision to relocate a number of senior executive leadership roles from Perth to the eastern states for an extended period due to the uncertainty around when the border might re-open.
“The continuing inflexibility towards business-critical travel means that it is now virtually impossible to run a national business from Perth,” Wesfarmers CEO and managing director, Rob Scott said in a statement shared with Appliance Retailer.
“For much of 2020 and 2021, short-term border restrictions were understandable, and we have managed the challenges associated with remotely running a national business. But the inability to travel and lack of clarity around the borders are now having serious impacts on our team and future growth plans. While Wesfarmers is a WA-based company, most of our leadership team, and over 85% of our broader team and operations are outside of WA,” he continued.
“We look forward to the Government announcing a plan which addresses these issues in the coming weeks. We have always supported a cautious and risk-based approach to managing Covid and accept that some adjustments to the 5 February re-opening was necessary. However, with Omicron now in the community, I am not sure why a 14-day quarantine should still apply, especially with RAT and PCR regimes for people who are isolating.
“This is out of step with the rest of the country, and most of the world. Many thousands of families and businesses are desperate to get some clarity on the way forward.”