Berejiklian’s swipe at Mark McGowan after returning traveller comments

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said all states need to “pull their weight” in welcoming returning Australians home as Western Australia’s lockdown comes to an end.

Criticising the individual circumstances of people who have returned to Australia after travelling overseas is not “healthy,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian has declared.

It comes after her WA counterpart announced an end to the state’s three-day lockdown, but lashed out at the federal government for allowing Australians to leave the country to attend weddings and funerals.

However Ms Berejiklian on Tuesday said the public would expect people “should only really be leaving our shores if (they) absolutely have to”.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Ms Berejiklian reiterated her previous statements that “all states (need to) pull their weight” in welcoming returning Australians home, after WA Premier Mark McGowan asked the federal government to halve the number of travellers coming into WA each week.

“The overwhelming majority of people coming back to Australia have come through Sydney Airport,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“It’s a big job, and we’ve done it because we know it’s in our state’s interest in our nation’s interests.

‘If we do want to look into the future to be able to welcome back, skilled labour, or look at welcoming back international students or tourists, we really need to get through the list of Aussies wanting to come home.”

WA Premier Mark McGowan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Tony McDonough

She again expressed a desire for arrivals caps to be linked to states’ population numbers.

The Premier said a mass vaccination hub at Olympic Park may open on the week of the 10th or 17th of May, and that information for over 50s who want an AstraZeneca jab will soon be made available.

Ms Berejiklian also defended the NSW government’s decision to “generally” operate vaccination clinics Monday to Friday, and not over the weekend.

“The public has a choice of when they book and what’s available,” she said.

“Just look at how many people we get through. Isn’t that the measure? It’s the outcome.

“We want to make your system as easy as possible for our staff (and) for the public, and if people want a job they can get the job,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Meanwhile, Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck said there is a “high likelihood” Olympic athletes will be “subject to” COVID risk while in Tokyo.

“It may be that an athlete comes into contact with someone who has COVID at the Olympics and statistically, the probability is that there will be COVID at the games,” he said.

Senator Colbeck said athletes should face a “relatively strict” quarantine system when they return home due to the risk.

“My expectation that it will be a hotel quarantine type of system. I don’t see being an AFL type, resort style, quarantine system where people can mix freely, because if one of the athletes does have the virus we don’t want it spreading within hotel quarantine,” he said.

WA LOCKDOWN TO END AT MIDNIGHT

Western Australia’s three-day lockdown will end as planned on Monday at midnight, but masks will be compulsory until Saturday.

“The short three day lockdown has done the job it was designed to do. It was a circuit breaker we needed to limit community spread and keep our community healthy,” Premier Mark McGowan said.

He said schools will resume but students and teachers will need to wear a mask execept for primary school students.

An empty Hay St mall in Perth during the lockdown. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

All public venues including hospitality, entertainment and retail can reopen, except for the casino and nightclubs and indoor fitness venues.

The four square metre capacity rule will be in place for this period only, with a limit of 20 patrons not including staff.

Visitors to hospital aged care and disability aged care are restricted to compassionate grounds only.

From midnight people can travel out of Perth and Peel regions to other parts of WA, however they must wear a mask.