Overseas travel is back on itinerary
SCOTT Morrison has confirmed all Australians will be free to travel overseas within weeks after Premier Dominic Perrottet announced NSW would scrap all quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers.
But despite NSW being open to unlimited overseas arrivals from November 1, the commonwealth will not start
issuing visas to tourists while there are still 45,000 Australian citizens and permanent residents stuck overseas.
Earlier this month the federal government announced the plan for overseas travel was to allow people to isolate for seven days at home when they returned to Australia.
On Friday, Mr Perrottet surprised Canberra by announcing NSW would allow the double-vaccinated to enter with no quarantine
period. Arrivals will instead be expected to take a Covid test before boarding a plane and to show evidence they have been fully vaccinated.
Mr Morrison made clear his government was committed to bringing home Australian citizens and permanent residents before allowing migrants, temporary workers and students to return.
Tourists would be the last category to have restrictions lifted, but senior government sources said they, too, would start arriving before Christmas.
The fear in Canberra is that allowing open slather for foreign visitors would likely delay the opening of state borders.
Mr Morrison said he reassured the premiers and chief ministers this was about putting Australian residents and citizens first.
He also announced that on Tuesday, federal cabinet’s national security committee had agreed to expand the definition of “immediate family” to include the parents of Australian residents and citizens.
NSW will have a cap of 210 unvaccinated arrivals a week, who will need to quarantine, along with anyone whose vaccine is not TGA-approved.
Mr Perrottet said the state would rely on the federal government to check travellers’ proof of vaccines.