FCTG to challenge closures

Flight Centre Travel Group may take legal action against the WA, Qld and Tas governments if they continue to prevaricate about the National Cabinet-approved plan for reopening at a full vaccination rate of 80%.

FCTG MD Graham Turner has told The Australian that the company would likely join with several other major tourism businesses in the court case if the recalcitrant jurisdictions do not make “reasonable” plans to open their borders for domestic travel.

An earlier case brought by Clive Palmer against the WA Government failed (TD 26

Aug 2020), but the High Court explicitly noted that its decision last year was based on the fact that at the time “there is no known vaccine... for a person who contracts COVID-19”.

Turner said Flight Centre had received legal advice that made it reasonable to mount a challenge, with closed borders currently costing the company an estimated $800 million in sales.

“We expect the state premiers to have a plan and we expect it to be reasonable... if not, and the borders stay shut, we don’t have a choice but to challenge,” he said.

MEANWHILE there is widespread expectation that a National Cabinet meeting today will see Prime Minister Scott Morrison announce that the current Biosecurity Emergency Declaration which bans outbound travel and foreign cruise ships will be lifted in mid-Nov, about a month earlier than the currently flagged expiry date of 17 Dec.