Gutwein’s stance goes against national rollout
PREMIER Peter Gutwein will take his defiant stand on border closures to Friday’s national cabinet meeting as federal colleagues urged him to stick to the plan for reopening.
The Tasmanian government won’t consider fully opening borders until the state hits a rate of 90 per cent vaccination and 100 per cent of people having access to jabs.
Mr Gutwein also wants fresh modelling and to see the trend in case numbers in NSW and Victoria before making a decision.
On Wednesday, Mr Gutwein claimed Tasmania would suffer “upwards of” 14,900 cases, 590 hospital admissions, 97 ICU admissions and nearly 100 deaths over six months.
But the Doherty Institute modelling on which his assumption is based is a national outbreak which infects nearly 750,000 people within six months.
Australia has experienced 105,000 infections in the 18 months of the pandemic so far.
The Doherty Institute stressed “the deliberately artificial nature of our assumption that Australia’s population would experience a uniform national epidemic”.
The national plan agreed to by all states allows for the easing of state and national border restrictions once vaccination rates reach 80 per cent.
These include an exemption from domestic travel restrictions for vaccinated people and the gradual reopening of international travel with “safe countries”.
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck urged Mr Gutwein to stick to the plan.
“Under the consolidation phase of the national plan, 80 per cent of adults aged 16 and over will be fully vaccinated,” he said.
“This will allow residents of all states and territories, including Tasmania, to live with the virus like any other infectious disease, while minimising
serious illness and death.
“We know from extensive modelling and the experience of other nations, that high rates of vaccination offer a pathway to normality.
“As previously stated, I am confident any decisions made by Premier Gutwein will be based on the ongoing advice of national cabinet and the AHPPC and serve the best interests of all Tasmanians.”
Senator Eric Abetz said he was confident the Premier would make the right decision, as he had throughout the pandemic.
“We can’t force people to be vaccinated and we can’t live with lockdowns, border restrictions, mental health issues, huge government debt, and jobs losses forever,” he said.
“The rest of the world is moving forward with their lives and eventually we need to as well.”
Data from Tuesday shows Tasmania at 75.8 per cent first dose rates and 57.8 per cent fully vaccinated. The state is expected to reach 90 per cent by December 1.
More than 3000 doses are being administered daily and the rate is increasing.
Nationally 77.3 per cent of eligible people have had their first dose and 53.4 per cent have had their second dose.
An announcement on when the state would relax border restrictions is expected to be made before Christmas.