Queensland will not reinstate its ban on travellers from Canberra as states implement new border restrictions sparked by the latest Sydney COVID-19 outbreak.
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Unless Canberrans have travelled to Sydney's new COVID-19 hotspots since December 11 they will not be barred from free travel across state borders as they were during the first wave.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed on Monday she is reinstating hard border restrictions on NSW following the outbreak on the northern beaches, but will not include travellers from the ACT. Other states will either turn away travellers from the designated greater Sydney hotspot or require hotel quarantine.
Australia's top medical experts, health and transport ministers will meet this week to discuss Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak and new travel restrictions.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison left open the possibility of government leaders holding a national cabinet meeting before its next planned meeting on February 5, but NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian denied there was a need.
Transport ministers met yesterday to discuss freight access through border restrictions.
The nation's top health officials also met Monday, and Professor Paul Kelly was officially appointed as the Australian government's chief medical officer. Health ministers will meet on Wednesday.
The NSW government has rejected the support offered by the Commonwealth, while Defence support for Victoria's border quarantine has been clarified as providing accommodation to those working on the border checkpoints. State officials have taken over from Defence in conducting border patrols.
"We've been able to overcome this before, including in NSW," Mr Morrison said. "They've got it covered, but the Premier is aware of what's available to her if she needs it."
Mr Morrison noted that premiers and first ministers would have direct access to the medical experts meeting on Monday.
The Prime Minister said he would have preferred a nationally consist definition of a hotspot, but premiers have their own accountability.
"In this case, the Avalon outbreak actually matches the national hotspot definition," Mr Morrison said. "And we have seen states respond along those lines."
Ms Berejiklian said her government responded in a proportionate way when outbreaks happened in other states and urged her counterparts to hold off ordering statewide border closures.
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"That's why I'm pleading with them to consider the facts and to be compassionate, and to look at the way in which we've responded when things have happened in their states," she said.
"In the case of Victoria, they had over 140 cases before we actually made the difficult decision to close the border. I just ask other states to consider that in their response as well."
The Premier was announcing 15 new cases on Monday, all linked to the Avalon cluster in the northern beaches, bringing the total cases to 83. More than 3800 people came forward to be tested on Sunday.
Harley Dennett
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
