Tweed wants two-way checks
TWEED Shire Council has written to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to demand the NSW border is closed to protect the Tweed.
The motion, which was amended to exclude also petitioning for the Tweed Shire to be declared a “red zone”, passed unanimously at Thursday’s first online Tweed Shire Council meeting.
Moved by mayor Katie Milne, the council resolved: “The Mayor writes to the NSW Premier as soon as possible and the Local State Member to request a NSW border closure for the Tweed Shire as a matter of urgency to provide further protection for NSW and Tweed Shire residents.”
The border has already been closed in the opposite direction, with NSW residents unable to enter Queensland without special permits.
Cr Milne said locals were feeling “swamped and overwhelmed” by Queenslanders coming into the shire’s supermarkets and beaches.
She spoke about concerns from the public about the “large number of Queensland residents coming into our shire who are normally welcome but in this situation they are creating considerable angst and anxiety”.
During the council meeting, Cr James Owen said he had written to Tweed MP Geoff Provest and the NSW Premier earlier last week relaying similar community feedback.
Cr Milne said she had already written a number of times to Mr Provest and had not received a response, but was willing to write again.
“I understand he is not supportive of that position or taking calls from community members about that,” she said.
In a statement released on Friday, Mr Provest said he had been in constant contact with the NSW Premier about the border situation and “there are currently no plans for NSW to close its borders and there is no current health advice requiring this”.