‘I would reopen borders next week:’ Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro calls on Gunner to act on borders
AFTER meeting with NT’s Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie today Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro says she is convinced it’s safe for the Territory to reopen its borders within a matter of days
Northern Territory
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AFTER meeting with NT’s Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie today Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro says she is convinced it’s safe for the Territory to reopen its borders within a matter of days.
Mrs Finocchiaro is calling on the Gunner Government to reopen the NT’s borders next Monday, June 22.
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It comes as South Australia opens its borders to NT, WA and Tasmania from midnight Tuesday.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has flagged opening NT’s borders around July 20 but he is now facing mounting pressure from business and industry groups to bring that date forward.
Mrs Finocchiaro said she was convinced the NT could now safely reopen its borders.
“After meeting with the Chief Health Officer (on Tuesday) morning, I’m convinced we can safely reopen our borders to all Australian jurisdictions,” she said.
“For many weeks the Chief Minister has been playing with Territorians livelihoods by failing to articulate a path forward on borders reopening and provide the certainty of a date to reopen the borders.
“Other states have signalled their intentions to reopen their borders and I see no reason now why we shouldn’t reopen. If I was Chief Minister, I would reopen borders on 22 June.
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“The school holidays are scheduled for July and we can get a jump on tourism trade ahead of the other states. The opportunity cost of waiting until late July to open borders is unjustifiable.
“Reopening borders will give interstate families looking for a holiday destination an excellent option to come to the Territory, spend some money and boost the economy. We have retailers, hotels, motels, tour operators, cafes and restaurants who need customers.”
Originally published as ‘I would reopen borders next week:’ Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro calls on Gunner to act on borders