Gladys Berejiklian issues threat to rogue states over reopening borders

International travel could be on the cards for NSW much sooner than we think after the Premier made a big threat this morning.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said her state may be forced to go it alone on opening up borders.

Ms Berejiklian told media on Wednesday morning she will ease restrictions and attempt to resume international travel when vaccination targets are met, regardless of what the other states do.

“I don’t want eight million people in NSW to suffer because some people don’t go forward with what they signed up to,” she said on Sunrise.

“I still live in hope that everyone will commit to what we signed up to.

“It’s confronting but every state is going to have to learn to live with Covid. If not at 80 per cent double dose, then when?”

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says her state may be going it alone with reopening borders. Picture: Christian Gilles/NCA NewsWire

Ms Berejiklian said she suspected Victoria would join NSW in sticking to the national plan.

However, she said Prime Minister Scott Morrison had ultimate responsibility over international borders and, if other states don’t hold their end of the bargain, she will press him to make a call.

“I will strongly advocate to the Prime Minister, who has responsibility for international borders, that I would be prepared on behalf of the NSW people to allow our citizens to travel, but also to welcome Australians who want to come back home,” she said.

“That is something I feel strongly about.

“This is the other frustration, the other state Premiers always give me a hard time when there were small outbreaks here and there before this one.

“But that’s because we were the ones bringing all the Aussies home for them and other states and, we did not mind doing that because that is what you do, you help each other out in a crisis. You stick together and don’t shun people away and criticise each other, we work together and that is what I have strived to do and I continue to do that.

“I hope everyone sticks to the plan. I hope everyone does what they signed up for.”

States and territories have agreed to Scott Morrison’s four-phase reopening plan, which sets out what new freedoms Australians can expect at each milestone of the vaccine rollout, and provides certainty around lockdowns and borders staying open.

Mark McGowan says he is unwilling to put West Australians at risk by reopening borders while there were still cases in other states. Picture: Jackson Flindell/The West Australian

Under the plan, restrictions across the country will ease when 70 per cent of Australians aged 16 years and over are vaccinated, and a vaccination figure of 80 per cent will trigger the end of lockdowns and the gradual return of international travel.

But some state leaders have expressed reluctance to stick with the national plan, including Western Australia’s Mark McGowan, who has expressed reluctance about opening the state even when the PM’s targets are met.

Ms Berejiklian said she had faith all state and territory leaders would “stand up and work together for the betterment of the public”.

“The only difference is they have not been confronted with Delta,” she said.

“They still think you can live in a fantasy, zero Covid land, which you can’t. And what is best for our citizens is to accept that reality, deal with it and get us through this difficult time.

“It breaks my heart every time we have someone die from Covid and that is going to happen but minimising that and vaccinating population is what we can do.”

With Lauren McMah.