Fiji-Aust Bubble Work Continues Despite the COVID-19 Outbreaks, FEMM Journalists told
There is an ongoing discussion between the Australian government and the Fijian Government over a two-way travel bubble, despite the continuing COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria.
A Pacific bubble is also being worked on within the Australian government, confirms Australia’s Minister for International Development Alex Hawke.
Mr Hawke was speaking to a group of Pacific journalists covering the Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) past week.
Most Pacific Island Countries are COVID-free.
Mr Hawke admitted health concerns are slowing Australia’s plans to implement travel bubbles but said Canberra is working on the proposals.
“As soon as we are able to get policy commitment to it, we want to be administratively ready and that makes sense to all sides in the region.
“Independent of that we’ve engaged countries like Fiji, at the policy level to start building a platform of how a travel bubble could work.
“And of course the work can be prepared whether the policy decision can be reached or not.
“It’s going to succeed or fail on the administrative arrangements, and we need to make those arrangements so we’ve been in constant discussions with the Government of Fiji.”
He said other countries so far have not indicated their willingness to have a bubble yet.
“We understand that the priorities are on health protection but as people want to partner on this, we’re engaging with them.”
Preparation work for travel bubbles continues
While work continues to prepare the way for travel bubbles, implementation has been delayed. Mr Hawke noted that the inception of the Pacific travel bubble is dependent on the trans-Tasman bubble between Australia and NZ which is “on pause” after new COVID-19 outbreaks.
It may be delayed until after NZ’s general election, possibly until next year.
“So the trans-Tasman bubble is on pause for a little bit,” he said
“The work is continuing on the trans-Tasman bubble.
“NZ has indicated that they will have a pause on that but they are committed to the outcome.
“The NZ election is of course an issue, that it might take some time to get through that which of course disrupts the government. “However with the situation in NZ as well, we’ll continue working with our partners in NZ to get that trans-Tasman bubble running.” In the meantime, Mr Hawke praised Fiji’s Blue Lane travel arrangements despite Australia not yet being ready to join.
“That is …an example of innovation in the Fijian Government and doing what they can through the restrictions of the Pacific without risking or compromising the health situation in Fiji,
“It is a difficult question for us to open our borders at the moment and that has not been agreed to because of the outbreak in Victoria, “The timetable that we might have had in the past has been delayed in many ways,
Mr Hawke said Australia was still keen to make these arrangements happen, but they depend the health situation.
“The outbreak in Victoria is very serious and the Commonwealth and the State are working as tightly as we can together to deal with that particular outbreak and that occupies a lot of our energy.
“The borders opening is a vexed question for Australians …so it is something that we will have to continue talking about.
“We support the concept of Blue Lanes and lanes for travel in the region with arrangements that we can allow movements of tourists,” he said.