Covid ticking time bomb: Talks begin to shift Qld-NSW border to Tweed River to end crisis
High-level talks between Queensland and NSW government officials about the potential shifting of the Tweed-Coolangatta border divide started late on Tuesday. LATEST >>>
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THE border checkpoint relocation talks are underway.
High-level official talks between Queensland and New South Wales government officials about the potential shifting of the Tweed-Coolangatta border divide started late on Tuesday.
The Bulletin can reveal the anticipated marathon discussions involved senior politicians on both sides. It is understood further talks will be required before any decision and announcement would be made about potential changes.
It comes after a series of Bulletin reports unveiling the extreme hardship created by the border checkpoints splitting the southern Gold Coast community and Tweed including some depressed border business operators that were suicidal after losing 80 per cent of their trade.
A suggested shift to a Tweed River boundary had been flagged back in August.
DEPUTY PREMIER’S WARNING: ‘TIME IS TICKING’
QUEENSLAND is lobbying NSW to move the border check point to the Tweed River on the eve of critical talks to sort out a health and business crisis caused by Covid restrictions.
The Bulletin understands a critical meeting between high-ranking government representatives around border arrangements is planned for Tuesday.
An exclusive report on Friday revealed NSW had agreed to a border review after the Bulletin outlined that some depressed border business operators were suicidal because they had lost most of their trade and upset medical workers could not attend to dying patients.
On the eve of Tuesday’s meeting, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said: “People living in the Tweed and Coolangatta community deserve better. It’s great to hear that the NSW Deputy Premier is keeping an open mind.
“But time is ticking. Shifting the border checkpoint south to the Tweed River would make life easier for hundreds of people who are cut off from their families and their jobs.
“I encourage NSW to do what makes sense. Allow us to move the border checkpoint south and reunite this community.”
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro on Saturday indicated he was opposed to the push to the Tweed River, but supportive of working on a “proper border bubble”.
The Bulletin has since obtained a letter from Dr Miles to the NSW Deputy Premier in which he said Queensland valued the opportunity to reduce the impact of Covid-19 public health measures on border communities.
“Our border communities are critically important and are the frontline in continuing to keep
Queenslanders safe and preventing the spread of Covid-19,” Dr Miles wrote.
“I appreciate the importance of maintaining consistent travel conditions for border zone
residents.
“To this end, the Queensland government has been actively trying to negotiate with
the New South Wales Government to shift border checkpoints to the Tweed River.
“This would allow Tweed Heads residents from New South Wales to cross seamlessly into Queensland and keep our border communities together.
In a recent email to Queensland Health, Border Commissioner James McTavish discussed the movement of the border south of Tweed for enforcement reasons “as well as the lack of a geographical feature to use as a border”.
The Commissioner had detailed how NSW was keen to have discussions about co-ordinating planning and developing a common approach to managing border communities.
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