PM blindsided by detail in NSW’s border reopening announcement

Scott Morrison has delivered a slap down for the NSW Premier, after the PM was blindsided by a major detail of his plan to reopen international borders.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s unilateral decision to scrap hotel and home quarantine for vaccinated international tourists has sparked fears it could lead to longer state border closures.

While November 1 was the date both the PM and NSW Premier were working towards to open international borders, the decision to throw open the borders to international tourists shocked the Morrison Government.

The Prime Minister had previously signalled that it was his preference to ensure all Australians who wanted to come home for Christmas could do so before tourism reopened.

Government sources have indicated they were ‘surprised’ by the speed of the bombshell announcement at 10am on Friday.

News.com.au understands the NSW Premier did alert the Morrison government to the looming announcement. However, federal government sources noted NSW “don’t choose how we open up the borders and to whom”.

At a press conference in Sydney this afternoon, the Prime Minister delivered a diplomatic slap down for the NSW Premier, noting that it was the Commonwealth that controlled tourism visas and decided who comes to Australia.

While welcoming the decision to reopen the international borders and scrap hotel quarantine, he suggested it was a “first step” and was about Australian residents returning, not tourists.

The PM was not aware NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet would scrap quarantine completely before he publicly made the announcement. Picture: NCA NewsWire Christian Gilles

“We are not opening up to everyone coming back to Australia at the moment. I want to be clear about that,” he said.

“It is for the Commonwealth and Federal Government to decide when the border opens and shut at an international level and we will do that.

“In the first instance it will be for Australian residents and their families. We will see how that goes.”

“The Commonwealth government has made no decision to allow other visa holders, student visa holders, international visitors travelling,” he said.

It follows earlier reports of ‘robust’ exchanges between the Prime Minister and the NSW Premier over Covid financial support, where he allegedly referred to Mr Perrottett as “a f***wt.”

There are also concerns that the NSW Premier is adopting a “let it rip” approach now that the state is nearly 80 per cent double vaccinated, with the target expected to be met this weekend.

But Mr Perrottet insisted he wanted the world to know the state was “open for business” and the days of living in a “hermit kingdom” were “over.”

It was expected that NSW would trial a seven-day home quarantine model to start for international travellers, before shifting towards a shorter time frame over coming weeks, but the Premier has scrapped quarantine for those who are fully vaccinated entirely.

“From November 1st, those people returning to Australia who want to come back, who want to visit Australia and come to Sydney, hotel quarantine will be a thing of the past,” he said.

“People coming into here, you’ll need to do a PCR test before you board the flight. You will need to show proof of your double vaccination.

“For double vaccinated people around the world, Sydney, New South Wales is open for business. We want people back. We are leading the nation out of the pandemic. Hotel quarantine, home quarantine is a thing of the past.”

Ultimately, the question of reopening international borders and the granting of tourism visas is a matter for the Morrison Government.

So, while the November 1 reopening is agreed to during private discussions, the question of international tourism is not resolved.

The question of scrapping home quarantine is ultimately a matter for the NSW Premier. But there’s already a huge backlash within the state to the idea of allowing international arrivals head straight to the regions.

While the NSW Premier is in charge of how his state manages quarantine, the granting of visas and control of international borders is a responsibility of the federal government. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

In Queensland, chief health officer Jeannette Young was notified via “a very brief text message” of the huge change.

“There has just been an enormous decision this morning that I haven’t been able to get my head around so I need to go and work out what that change means,” she said.

In Victoria, Health Minister Martin Foley admitted he didn’t have a clue that NSW was going to scrap home quarantine for international travellers.

”Everyone needs to take a chill pill,’’ he said. “We are not aware of the full details of a media release hot off the printer from the New South Wales government. We will go through that. We wish New South Wales, as we always do, every success, and Victoria will go about its business in the national context, understanding it’s the Commonwealth who control international borders, not the states.”

Asked if Victoria knew the announcement was coming, Mr Foley confirmed that he did not.

”No, I wasn’t (aware). There would be no need for me to be so. Each state is responsible for its own circumstances,’’ he said.

Concerns are rising that Mr Perrottet is adopting a “let it rip” approach as the state’s vaccination rate rises. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

However, the decision could have big implications for when states, including WA and Queensland, reopen their state borders.

There are concerns at a state and Commonwealth level that the NSW’s “open slather” approach could prompt concerns in states that are running behind schedule in vaccinations.

If they believe it’s not safe to reopen as international travellers stream into NSW, that means some Australians may not be able to fly home to friends and family interstate over Christmas.

But the decision to completely dump even home quarantine took officials by surprise and bureaucrats in the Morrison Government were scrambling to consider the ramifications on Friday morning.

Asked if it might make some nervous state premiers wet their pants, one government official said it was more likely to make them “sh*t the bed”.

Under changes in NSW for regional travel from November 1, international arrivals landing in Sydney can also head straight to the regions, including areas with low vaccination rates that are vulnerable to outbreaks.

Influential Sydney radio host Ray Hadley said it was a concern if potentially affected travellers could head straight to regional NSW after getting off the plane.

”I think this is just a step too far,’’ 2GB Ray Hadley said.

Originally published as PM blindsided by detail in NSW’s border reopening announcement