Tasman travel opens
NEW ZEALANDERS will be able to travel quarantine-free to NSW and Northern Territory but Victoria’s deadly second wave means that state is still a long way from welcoming visitors from across the ditch.
The trans-tasman travel bubble was announced on Friday by Deputy Prime Minister Michael Mccormack and will come into effect on October 16.
Mr Mccormack described it as the first stage of the arrangement, which he hoped would eventually include all Australian states and territories. The agreement means Kiwis can cross the Tasman “for a holiday, for work or even for love”, Mr Mccormack said.
But New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said those who travel to Australia will still need to complete 14 days of managed isolation on their return, which comes with a $2878 AUD quarantine fee.
Under the initial agreement, the travel bubble was only for Kiwis who do not live in a NZ COVID hotspot.
And it was strictly one-way travel, with Australians not yet allowed to travel to New Zealand. However Mr Mccormack said that could soon change.
“If Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister in New Zealand, wants to have Australians going to New Zealand, then that will be up to her and New Zealand as to how those arrangements can be put into place and under what conditions they can be put into place,” he said.
He said it was welcome news for agricultural workers and shearers in New Zealand who would now be able to come over for work.
The Berkeley Vale Panthers. Back row: Abbie Eagleton, Taleah Wales, Sienna Kennedy-wilkie, Leylah-kaye Bridge, Keira Bof, Rylee Cash, Tianah Vaenuku. Front row: Halle Bruen, Aiecha Phoenix, Laila Davies, Tayla Campbell, Ariana Surya, Charli Hardgrave. Pictures: DAVID SWIFT
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce declared the announcement of a trans-tasman bubble with New South Wales and the Northern Territory as “the best news the industry has had in months”.
“It’s great for the family and friends who can be reunited and for people needing to travel for a job,” Mr Joyce said.
“It means we’ll be able to get more planes back in the sky and more of our people back to work.”
Both Qantas and Jetstar were expected to offer flights within days.
A Virgin Australia spokesman said it was “a welcomed first step and will help the aviation sector to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic”.
“We are however commercially reliant on two-way passenger traffic, therefore our approach to reintroducing services between Australia and New Zealand will ultimately be driven by customer demand,” the spokesman said.
Tasmania will open its borders to COVID-FREE states and territories on October 26.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said on Friday that all states apart from NSW and Victoria would be allowed in without quarantining.