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Australia’s domestic tourism market could reignite around Christmas, but that might not change much for New Zealand travelers.
On Friday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his cabinet had vaguely agreed to remove travel restrictions by the end of the year. However, Western Australia has been excluded from this arrangement.
“We agreed, in principle, … with Australia’s reopening framework for Christmas,” Morrison said.
“We wait [states and territories] openness, and commitment [that]By Christmas this year, without a doubt, seven of the eight states and territories will be open … That will be a great day for Australia. “
Dean Lewins / AAP
A proposal to open all national borders, except for Western Australia, by Christmas might not make much of a difference for New Zealand travelers.
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This arrangement will allow millions of Australians to move around the country, reconnect with family and friends in previously blocked states and inject some money into the domestic tourism market.
But the news does not appear to be as beneficial to New Zealanders using the non-quarantine travel bubble.
Those hoping to use the bubble as a way to get around the rest of the country could be very disappointed, as state quarantine requirements may remain.
In addition to agreeing to reopen borders, participating states and territories also agreed, in principle, to develop a risk stratification approach for international arrivals, Morrison said.
Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that most of the country’s states and territories intend to reopen by Christmas.
This approach will also be implemented for quarantine arrangements. The cabinet was considering offering certain groups options to quarantine at home, on farms, in mining camps or on campus.
Morrison did not provide specific details on travel from New Zealand, noting that caregiver arrangements in some states restricted what leaders could commit to. However, he said he is satisfied with the way the existing travel arrangements were going.
“We have already moved into New Zealand and that has gone well, I am satisfied with how it is progressing,” he said at the press conference on Friday.
The focus of any reopening plan will be to ensure that all necessary public health measures are in place to avoid further lockdowns and to move quickly on any outbreak that may occur.
“An important part of this plan is that it includes the necessary actions that are needed [with] a public health response “.
Australia’s National Cabinet would meet again on November 13 to discuss the reopening. More details specific to the travel bubble may be released in the coming weeks.
“I hope the opening of the country continues,” Morrison said.
Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia require that all international arrivals be quarantined upon arrival at your expense. This requirement is likely to remain in effect even if interstate restrictions are eased.
On paper, those arriving in Australia’s bubble states and territories – New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory – should be treated as domestic travelers from the moment they leave the international airport. That means states with no national travel restrictions, like Victoria, indirectly welcome these travelers.
This caused some confusion when the bubble inflated on October 16 as international arrivals traveled to the southern state.
Victoria’s Prime Minister Daniel Andrews was angry with New Zealanders flying to Melbourne from Sydney, but the guide on the Victoria state government website contradicted his comments. The government said New Zealanders could enter the open state, provided they pass relevant immigration and biosecurity requirements upon arrival in the country, without the need to be quarantined for two weeks.
“Currently, the Victorian borders are open,” reads the information on the website.
The Australian Capital Territory also allows New Zealand travelers to enter by air or road from New South Wales without the need to self-quarantine upon arrival.
As soon as the roundtrip bubble was announced in early October, airlines began selling airfares and increasing capacity on existing routes.
The eased restrictions were encouraging for Australian carrier Qantas, which has been operating at around 30 percent of its pre-Covid capacity in Australia.
“Qantas and Jetstar [Qantas’ subsidiary] we are closely watching the new markets that could open as a result of these bubbles, “said President Richard Goyder at the company’s annual general meeting on Friday.
