Chief Minister will not open NT borders despite SA’s sudden announcement
CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner will not open the Territory’s borders early despite South Australia dropping its borders for the NT and two other jurisdictions
Northern Territory
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CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner will not open the Territory’s borders early despite South Australia dropping its borders for the NT, Western Australia and Tasmania.
SA Premier Steven Marshall announced people travelling to South Australia from the Territory, WA and Tasmania would not have to go into mandatory 14-day quarantine from midnight on Tuesday.
Mr Gunner maintained he would make a decision by the end of this week, with about July 20 flagged as a potential date.
“Our strong borders have saved lives and made us the safest place in Australia,” he said.
“I’ve been straight with you the whole time about how we are making these decisions, and I’m not breaking my word now.
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“We’ve got a plan, we’ve stuck to our plan, and our plan is working. And we are now in the final stretch.
“(Monday) we changed our quarantine arrangements so people have more freedom over where they quarantine in the Territory.
“We are monitoring what’s happening in the other states every day. We need to be absolutely sure that the mass protests in the south haven’t led to large outbreaks. Then we can make an informed decision on easing border restrictions.
“I’ve promised to make a decision by the end of this week, based on the medical advice, to keep you safe. I’m not going to rush it. I am going to get this right. There is too much at stake to stuff it up.”
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Territory Alliance leader Terry Mills and Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro both urged Mr Gunner to open the borders immediately following Mr Marshall’s announcement.
Mr Gunner disregarded their pleas.
“I know the CLP and Terry Mills are saying we should relax our hard borders immediately,” he said.
“They can afford to be reckless, to make dangerous proposals and to play cheap politics – because they get to wash their hands of any responsibility if things go wrong.
I can’t do that, and I won’t do that.
“It’s my job to keep Territorians safe. I’ll keep doing my job.”
Originally published as Chief Minister will not open NT borders despite SA’s sudden announcement