Australian minister talks about travel through Tasmania ‘before the end of the year’, but it could be a way

Australian politicians are again suggesting that a trans-Tasman Covid-19 travel bubble could occur by the end of the year.

But Australia’s trade and tourism minister said it could be a one-way street and it could depend on which part of New Zealand.

Simon Birmingham told the Today is the show on Nine who hoped Australians could travel freely to New Zealand before the end of the year.

“We are working hard to ensure that all precautions and security measures are in place through our airports, our border protections, inspection processes, to ensure that people can travel safely between Australia and New Zealand without risk of meet other air travelers who may be from higher risk countries, “Birmingham said.

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Birmingham suggested that initially the trip could be one way, and that the Kiwis could go to Australia without having to self-quarantine when they arrive.

But he said that would only be allowed for South Island residents, due to Auckland’s August cluster on the North Island.

“Ultimately if New Zealand opens up to Australia it will be a New Zealand affair but we are working to make sure we are ready and hopefully we can see those steps taken this year,” Birmingham told Nine.

It came after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that a new travel bubble, allowing travel to and from Australia without the Covid-19 quarantine, was a possibility, but with some amendments from the discussions. original.

Morrison suggested that the trans-Tasman bubble could successfully operate between regions with no known Covid-19 outbreaks.

There have been longstanding discussions between New Zealand and Australian leaders over reopening ties between the two countries, but plans were put on hold when the number of Melbourne cases soared.

States in Australia then developed their own Covid-19 border policies.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters previously said there could be no country-to-country travel bubble when Australia didn’t even open state-by-state internally, but he did not rule out a bubble in the future.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she wants Australia to be free from community transmission for 28 days before considering a quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia.

Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran recently told the Sydney morning herald that non-quarantine travel between Australia and New Zealand was unlikely for at least another six months.

Earlier this month, after a call with Ardern, Morrison suggested he was optimistic about the possibility of traveling.

“If there is no Covid in Christchurch and there is no Covid in Queensland, then there is no reason why they cannot both come to Sydney,” he said.

But he repeatedly stressed that New Zealand would have to make a call on how its borders are managed.