See you soon NZ? Aussies could cross the ditch before all state borders reopen

Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed he is hopeful that trans-Tasman travel will be able to resume “sooner rather than later” in a press conference this afternoon, perhaps before some Australian states and territories have even opened up their borders to the rest of the country.

The prime minister addressed reporters in Canberra on Friday afternoon, following a lengthy National Cabinet meeting to discuss the government’s future plans for the country as coronavirus cases continue to decrease. And it was good news for eager travellers, with the prime minister confirming that he’s been in regular communication with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about the possibility of resuming travel between the two neighbouring countries.

“Prime Minister Ardern and I discuss it regularly and we are progressing it well and for the jobs that will be created in the aviation sector in particular don’t be held up on the decisions premiers wish to make. “Jacinda Ardern and I agree, the net benefits for our countries opening up to each other again is a strong one and we have both put ourselves in a position to do it.

“I can’t see it with other countries, it is still a way off but we are looking forward to that day being sooner rather than later, but I hope in Sydney and Melbourne, you can get to the states and territories and Auckland at the same time, but we’ll see what happens.”

Morrison also revealed he is keen for individual states and territories to ease their restrictions and reopen interstate borders in a bid to support the struggling tourism industry.

Over the past couple of weeks there has been a number of disagreements between states on when borders should re-open, particularly between New South Wales and Queensland. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is yet to budge on the issue of Queensland borders, even suggesting they could remain closed until as late as September.

Addressing reporters, Morrison said it was outlined in the federal three-strep plan that interstate travel would be allowed as part of the third stage in July, and he hopes this will still be the case. With school holidays coming up, the prime minister said he would like Aussies to use the time to boost tourism once again, following what has been some of the most challenging months for the industry.

“Now, whether you have a border or you don’t have a border, formally put in place, step three of the plan which was expected to be in place in July, is when that was expected to be the case,” he explained. “But the truth is, and I’m sure and this was discussed today, that it’s preferable to be able to be in a situation where you don’t have borders as soon as possible because obviously, that means that the tourism industries in particular and particularly with school holidays coming up, might be able to benefit from that travel.”

He added: “So, I think we’ve got to keep the issue in perspective. We don’t agree on everything. No-one does. It would be a bit weird if they did in a democracy.”

Meanwhile, Morrison also used the press conference as an opportunity to announce a new five year hospital agreement between states and territories. This includes a whopping $131.4 billion in additional funding for public hospitals, on top of the $8 billion in federal funding which has been announced during the Covid-19 response.

The prime minister’s announcement comes days after a new travel plan was released by the newly-formed Tourism Restart Taskforce, which was said to have been approved by federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham.

According to 7News, the plan to resume travel would allow Aussies to jet off on holiday to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands from July 1. Members of the public would then be permitted to travel to other “safe” countries from September.

The taskforce was created in April and has met with the federal government on a weekly basis to discuss plans to restart tourism, both domestically and internationally. It is reported that the plan was approved by Minister Birmingham at the most recent meeting, which took place on May 22.