Border permit system to end as checks wound back

Victoria’s border permit system for travellers from South Australia will be dropped from December 12, while a passenger claims his permit wasn’t checked on arrival in Melbourne.

The passengers said they left the airport without being checked. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Victoria has quietly dumped universal permit checks for South Australians travelling into the state, despite border controls still being in place.

The State Government confirmed last night that ‘spot checks’ would be carried out instead of having road checkpoints manned and authorised officers stationed at domestic terminals.

The permit system will then be dumped from December 12.

The admission came after the Herald Sun revealed passengers disembarking flights from Adelaide to Melbourne on Wednesday were not being checked by authorised officers.

Connor Jackson was on board Virgin flight VA 222 and said no authorised officers greeted their flight.

“I was shocked,” the Melbourne resident told the Herald Sun.

“It was a full flight. I had a permit but there was nobody there. It’s Adelaide so it not a huge risk but seriously come on.

“The woman sitting next to me had a red permit because she had ticked that she had been in a hot spot.”

Virgin aircraft arrives in Melbourne from Sydney Picture: Ian Currie

International arrivals walk to Skybuses after landing in Melbourne. Picture: Ian Currie

Mr Jackson said no one from the flight was stopped before picking up their luggage and leaving the airport.

“No wonder we are the only state in Australia to have had a second wave and 800 people die. They can’t even get the basics right.”

People travelling from South Australia to Victoria must have a permit to enter after Premier Daniel Andrews ordered the border shut in November following a local outbreak.

A statement issued by Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on Wednesday said a permit was still “required” to enter from South Australia but authorities would only be spot checking.

“Operational changes have now been made at Melbourne Airport to coincide with the return of international arrivals,” he said.

“Given South Australia has had zero cases in the past 10 days, and arrivals from that state present a significantly lower risk, we have moved to a spot check system for those flights, ensuring the international arrival schedule for the Covid Quarantine Victoria program is not impacted.”

It is understood screening officers were taken off checkpoints on Monday and sent to the international terminal.

But the Victorian coronavirus website still states: “Victoria police will monitor and enforce the permit system through spot checks and DHHS Authorised Officers will be meeting flights at airports.”

The latest airport issue comes only days after two German travellers were able to skip quarantine in Sydney and travel to Melbourne.

Opposition Health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the Andrews government was failing at basic procedures.

“How can we have any faith in international arrivals if the Labor Government can’t even handle a flight from Adelaide?” she said.

“Last time, Daniel Andrews’ incompetence cost 801 Victorians their lives, over 200,000 jobs and locked millions in their homes for months.”

It comes after it was revealed that a traveller in July breached state flight protocols and boarded a plane from Sydney to Melbourne, but the public was not notified at the time.

Flight staff sounded the alarm and the person was met at the airport by public health officials who took them to quarantine.

They later tested negative for coronavirus.

Premier Daniel Andrews said he had not been made aware of the breach at the time.

But he said recent airport scares had shown more work could be done and flagged the issue may be discussed when he arrives in Canberra for national cabinet.

“The air side issue is a very serious one,” he said.

“All states and territories need to be playing their part in essentially protecting each other.

“Logic just tells you that having people running around airports is not a good thing to do.

“The air side transfer issue that we are doing, so there’s no movement throughout the airport, we think that is something other first ministers should have a very close look at.”

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