Prime Minister challenges state leaders to reopen before Christmas
The Prime Minister has challenged state and territory leaders to commit to reopening borders before Christmas, once 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 16 and over has been fully vaccinated.
Scott Morrison reiterated the public health measures that have kept the nation safe but separated during the pandemic had a use-by date on them.
The federal government wants to see internal border closures dumped at 80 per cent fully vaccinated, so families can reunite over the holidays.Credit:Paul Jeffers
âOnce you get to 80 per cent of your population thatâs vaccinated, well, itâs very clear. I canât see any reason why Australians should be kept from each other,â Mr Morrison said in an interview with Channel Seven.
âMy message is more to Australians that what Iâd like them to have for Christmas is their lives back. And thatâs within the gift of governments. And thatâs a gift Iâd like to see us give them.â
But Queenslandâs Deputy Premier Steven Miles hit back at the Prime Ministerâs comments, saying the stateâs concern was keeping COVID-19 out - and that could mean keeping the border shut over Christmas.
âI donât think Queensland does want to just give in this close to the end of the pandemic. I donât think Queenslanders will want to let COVID in for Christmas if we donât have it but NSW still does,â he said on Sunday.
The national plan would see states and territories increasingly relax restrictions as 70 and then 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 16 and over become fully vaccinated.
The NSW and Victorian premiers have both said they are keen to see internal lock-outs end, but several states, including Queensland and Western Australia have said they wonât consider reopening until after theyâve vaccinated more than 80 per cent of their communities.
So far across the country, 75.8 per cent of the eligible population has had one dose, and 51.5 per cent are now fully vaccinated.
Health Minister Greg Hunt noted that 27 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds have already had first doses, less than two weeks into that age group becoming eligible.
The country will also have enough doses of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines to cover all eligible Australians by the end of October.
âWeâd like to see every Australian being able to connect with every other Australian for Christmas,â Mr Hunt said on Sunday.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he âcertainly hopedâ state and territory borders would open once the country hit the 80 per cent double dose target.
But Mr Andrews said ultimately it was not Mr Morrisonâs call, and the âthe national plan, which we are faithfully delivering, doesnât really go into these issuesâ.
Mr Morrison acknowledged that state leaders have the power to keep their jurisdictions shut, but they had to make âcommon senseâ decisions once 80 per cent of the eligible population is immunised.
âI think that puts the big challenge on the premiers. I mean, theyâve had the power to do what theyâve been doing. Theyâre not new powers,â he said.
âBut there comes a time when youâve got to honour the arrangement youâve made with the Australian people, and that is when you get to 80 per cent vaccination, itâs very clear that you can start opening up.â
With Jocelyn Garcia, Ashleigh McMillan
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