International students to return by Christmas

A village-style quarantine facility will open in Victoria by the end of the year for overseas arrivals, including international students.

Hundreds of beds at Victoria’s new village-style quarantine facility will be open for overseas arrivals by Christmas.

The Herald Sun can reveal the first 500 beds at the centre, to be located in Mickleham, are expected to be built for quarantine travellers by the end of the year.

Another 500 beds will be constructed by early next year, with the capacity for further expansion.

Scott Morrison wrote to James Merlino on Thursday night to lock in plans for the long-awaited facility, with the federal government to pay for its construction and the state government to operate it.

The Prime Minister said it would be used as “Victoria’s core capability” — so it would be filled first with arrivals before quarantine hotels were used for the remainder of people flying into Melbourne under the state’s agreed cap.

“On completion of the first stages, a facility with a 1000 bed capacity will increase the number of Australians that can return to Australia and provide options to assist in our economic recovery by enabling arrivals of international students, skilled migrants and other economic intakes into the medium term,” Mr Morrison wrote to the Acting Premier.

“I have asked my officials to prioritise this project and I want to see that all efforts are made to deliver the first stages of the facility by the end of 2021.”

“I thank you again for the co-operation and partnership approach that has been developed around the delivery of this project, and I look forward to continuing to work with you and the Victorian government to see the Mickleham facilities operational as soon as possible.”

The Herald Sun revealed earlier this week that the Prime Minister had shifted his preference from a site near Avalon Airport to Mickleham, as federal officials believed that could be up and running more quickly.

The Mickleham site had been the preference of the state government since it pitched the facility to the commonwealth in April.

Mr Merlino said this week that his government wanted it “built as quick as is humanly possible”.

“Time is of the essence … If there’s any bring forward, either days or weeks, we will do so,” he said.