Lift border restrictions ‘whenever you can’, PM says
State border closures should be lifted whenever possible, Scott Morrison said. Ramping up his position on borders he declared “zero per cent” risk was not the threshold for border rules.
QLD News
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THE border skirmish is heating up again as Prime Minister Scott Morrison starts sharpening his position on the states’ lockup, saying “we can’t live in a risk-free society”.
After weeks of pulling back on borders for National Cabinet unity, Mr Morrison declared Australia “was not built for having internal borders”.
It follows the Nationals increasingly firing up over hard line restrictions, beyond the original border shutdowns when the pandemic took hold in Australia, which were causing problems for farmers and regional Australians seeking medical care.
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Mr Morrison said closed borders “do cost” and should not be entered into lightly.
“Australia was not built to have internal borders,” he said.
“You should be seeking at all opportunities to lift them whenever you can. That of course will always be based on medical advice. You can’t live in a risk-free society. Zero per cent is not a threshold for how borders should be managed.”
There has been increasing pressure from business over the borders, including the Business Council of Australia and Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland who secured signatures from dozens of lobby groups calling for a nationally consistent approach on the restrictions.
