Carrie Bickmore on The Project: ‘I can’t see how they will open’

Carrie Bickmore has revealed a personal cost to the continued closure of state borders on The Project as debate heats up over Christmas.

The Project host Carrie Bickmore conceded that she can’t see how Queensland and Western Australia will open its borders to New South Wales and Queensland by the festive season.

The state Premiers’ decision will come at a personal cost to her – as it does to many Australian families.

“The border is not going to be open to WA or Queensland for Christmas, as much as I want it to be,” the host said on Monday’s episode. “I have family I want to see and even though [Prime Minister Scott Morrison] is saying they are putting pressure on them, they don’t care.

“I can’t see how they will open.”

Bickmore was backed up by her co-host Waleed Aly, although Aly seemed more convinced that WA is less likely to open the borders.

“WA, yes, it’s almost a different country at this point.”

Carrie Bickmore concedes state borders are unlikely to open by Christmas. Picture: Channel 10

But Aly pointed to the Queensland government’s soft back-pedalling as hope the policy could shift.

Today, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the state’s borders will open once it’s the right time, but argued the data to make that decision is not yet available.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, as recently as this past week, had dashed hopes family reunions would be on the cards this Christmas holiday season.

“The reason we have tough border measures in place is because there is a massive outbreak at the moment in New South Wales and Victoria and their hospitals are going to be overwhelmed,” she said as she refused to be drawn on a timetable for reopening,” she said last week.

University of New South Wales epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws told The Project on Monday that it would be unusual for WA or Queensland to reopen its borders by Christmas but suggested a scenario in which the state could require rapid antigen testing at the border for incoming travellers.

Other states, including South Australia, has committed to reopening borders once the 80 per cent double vaccination rate has been reached, as was the original agreement struck in National Cabinet.

The Queensland Premier won’t commit to reopening borders to NSW and Victoria. Picture: Richard Walker

The national vaccination rate is currently 51 per cent fully vaccinated and 76 per cent for first doses. Queensland is at 45 per cent double vaccinated and 64 per cent first doses while WA is at 45 per cent double vaccinated and 63 per cent first doses.

In an interview on The Sunday Project, constitutional lawyer Professor Kim Rubenstein said that anyone adversely affected by the states’ refusal to open their borders could have grounds for a case.

“Any person who is impacted by these restrictions and who can show that this is a disproportionate burden on trade [could mount legal action],” she said.

“So that if it can show that it is, in fact, protecting one state over the other, without a legitimate or proportional response, then it really is available for challenge. And we may, in fact, see that ahead of us.”

Prof. Rubenstein explained that the Australian constitution “was motivated by a desire to travel freely across the country. Colonies were finding it difficult to have barriers around trade. Section 92 was placed there to discourage any restriction of travel within Australia.”

Professor Rubenstein said the court would examine “whether these restrictions are needed for the purpose that they‘re seeking to achieve in terms of health protection.”

If they’re found wanting, the state could be much more “vulnerable” to legal action.

Today, the NSW government revealed a map out of lockdown, outlining the restrictions that will lift once the state achieves 80 per cent full vaccination as well as freedoms for the unvaccinated from December.

The ACT also presented a pathway out of lockdowns.

Originally published as Carrie Bickmore on The Project: ‘I can’t see how they will open’