Travel to Australia opening up

WELLINGTON: New Zealanders will be able to fly to New South Wales and the Northern Territory without having to go into quarantine from October 16 under a oneway travel bubble announced by the Australian Government yesterday.

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s office said the rules for travellers had not changed and New Zealanders returning from travel to Australia would still have to go into quarantine for 14 days.

Australian tourists can still not travel to New Zealand.

Returning New Zealanders will have to pay $3100 per room and $950 for each extra adult and $475 per child twoards the quarantine costs.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack announced the first step for a transtasman travel bubble yesterday, saying the states of NSW and the Northern Territory would welcome ‘‘our New Zealand friends’’ from a minute after midnight on October 16.

‘‘I have just gotten off the phone with [Northern Territory] Chief Minister Michael Gunner who says ‘the fish are biting and the beers are cold’,’’ he said.

Under the rules in the two states, only New Zealanders who have been in a ‘‘nonhot spot’’ area of low Covid19 for 14 days will be allowed into Australia.

Mr McCormack said South Australia would probably be the next state to reopen and there were plenty of West Australian tourism operators wanting business.

He said other Pacific nations could potentially join Australia and New Zealand’s transtasman travel bubble, saying people from the Pacific Islands could travel to New Zealand, stay in a nonhot spot area for 14 days and then fly to Australia.

Mr McCormack said Prime Minister Scott Morrison was still negotiating with Ms Ardern about when Australians would be allowed to fly to New Zealand.

‘‘I know, having spoken to both Alan Joyce and Paul Scurrah, the chief executive officers of Qantas and Virgin respectively, they are also very, very pleased with these arrangements,’’ he said.

Air New Zealand welcomed the announcement as a ‘‘positive step towards opening up a Tasman bubble’’, albeit a oneway arrangement with those returning to New Zealand still needing to quarantine for 14 days.

‘‘Kiwis wanting to reconnect with families and friends in Northern Territory and New South Wales will welcome this news and we look forward to hearing more about a complete Tasman safe zone soon,’’ a spokeswoman said.

New Zealand Aviation Coalition cochairman Justin TigheUmbers was delighted, saying there would be a lot of New Zealanders with family and friends in Australia and businesspeople breathing a huge sigh of relief.

He said NZAC wanted to see New Zealand follow suit and open up quarantinefree travel to people from those Australian states that meet a similar ‘‘hot spot’’ definition.