- Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned the nation faces “economic ruin” if hard borders remain in place
- Border closures have been popular within states which have low case numbers, but the PM says people can’t “retreat into provincialism” and that borders “can’t help but cause problems”
- Mr Morrison has promised a “commonwealth definition of a hot spot […] come rain, hail or shine” to create a nationally consistent system
- The PM hopes this will be adopted by the national cabinet, but it’ll be a tough sell in states where border closures are popular
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned the nation faces “economic ruin” if hard borders remain in place, and is urging state premiers to lift restrictions by Christmas.
Border closures have been popular within states which have low case numbers, but the PM says people can’t “retreat into provincialism” and that borders “can’t help but cause problems.”
Hot spots
Mr Morrison insists there’s “too much inconsistency” in the current border regimes across the country. He’s promised a “commonwealth definition of a hot spot […] come rain, hail or shine” to create a nationally consistent system.
The PM has said he hopes parameters can be set through the national cabinet, but failing that, he’ll create a definition unilaterally. If there remain inconsistencies, he says individual states will be accountable.
“If there are any differences to that, well people can explain them,” Mr Morrison said.
“We find ourselves in a situation where there is, I think, too much inconsistency between these (border) arrangements,” he added.
While locals in Queensland and Western Australia have been quite happy to maintain hard borders, there are arguments the closures have been inconsistent with health advice.
WA has few border communities affected by travel bans, but there have been notable examples of towns near the borders of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria which have suffered heavy impacts of the travel restrictions.
Most notable among those to suffer from border closures was a woman from Ballina in northern NSW. She tragically lost one of her twin babies after seeking delayed medical attention in Sydney, rather than the nearby Gold Coast.
Queensland authorities claim the woman would’ve been granted an exemption to travel had she sought one. But the Prime Minister and others have argued the perceptions around hard borders create confusion for citizens and uncertainty for business.
Foreign travel
While there have been suggestions Australia could open international travel bubbles with other countries with low coronavirus caseloads, the PM has been quick to hose down speculation as to potential dates when that might happen.
Talk of a trans-Tasman arrangement with New Zealand has been on the table for months. Those tentative plans have been pushed back since the fresh virus outbreak in our nearest neighbour, even though case numbers haven’t reached anywhere near the levels of those in Victoria.
While there is ostensibly little difference between opening international borders to other low-case countries and opening internal borders, Scott Morrison won’t be drawn on when these changes might be on the horizon.
“I’d love to say we could do it internationally but I don’t think I can give you that pledge internationally,” Mr Morrison said.
“I hope that changes but based on the current evidence that doesn’t look likely,” he concluded.
How the advice varies between forcing states to open up to Victoria as opposed to New Zealand is unclear.
Outlook
Many Victorians will be unable to visit with family this weekend for Fathers’ Day. Similar to the Easter lockdowns, the restrictions seem to take the heaviest toll when people are forced to miss such significant events.
This is perhaps why the PM is agitating to have open internal borders by Christmas.
An already heavy economic downturn will only be exacerbated by people being unable to travel to see family during the holiday season. The associated lack of commercial activity would also be a death knell for any potential recovery in what is traditionally the biggest quarter for retail spending and travel.
“The idea that we’re going to live with domestic borders until there’s a vaccine is a recipe for economic ruin. That is not the plan,” Mr Morrison stated.
“The plan is to ensure testing, tracing and outbreak containment, strong quarantine, COVID safe behaviours in the workplace, in the home, at the footy club, at the ground,” he said.
As long as border restrictions remain popular though, it’ll be a tough sell to impose a national regime undercutting local preferences.