NSW borders closed: Shutting Victoria out will ‘devastate’ regional towns

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will close the state’s border with Victoria tomorrow night, but not everyone is happy with the news.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will close the state’s border with Victoria tomorrow night, after slamming Queensland for doing the same.

Following talks with Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Ms Berejiklian will close the border in response to the Garden State’s growing number of COVID-19 cases, with the military set to assist with the closure operation.

On Monday, Victoria recorded 127 new cases of COVID-19 overnight, marking a record spike for the state. The state currently has more than 500 active cases

Last week, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced her state would reopen to Australia from July 10, however Victorians would be left in the cold for the foreseeable future.

Addressing media on Monday, Ms Berejiklian said the “mammoth task” of shutting down the 55 border crossings between each state. The closure will mean only Victorians with a special permit or exemption will be allowed across the border.

The decision for NSW to follow suit has been criticised by some MPs, who say the closure between NSW and Victoria will “devastate” regional communities.

Speaking to Sky News, Minister the Environment Sussan Ley didn’t support the move, given so many residents in both states live on one side of the border and travel to the other for work.

“That (border closure) would be a big mistake,” she said on Monday.

“I represent the entire southern border and it would devastate our regional economy. In Albury and Wodonga we’ve got a merged health system. People live on one side and work on the other.”

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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he supports the closure of the NSW border. Picture: David Crosling

Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the NSW border will be closed to Victoria from Tuesday night. Picture: Rohan Kelly

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Victorian Liberal MP Tim Smith told Ben Fordham Live on 2GB that closing the border would be unfair on rural communities.

“Don’t punish our rural communities because of Daniel Andrews’ incompetence in Melbourne,” he said.

“I would implore Gladys to not listen to that rabble-rousing from the opposition leader in NSW.

“I think it would be a real shame if it was closed. It would absolutely gut regional communities on either side of the Murray River.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he spoke to the NSW Premier and Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday, and agreed that closing the NSW-Victorian border was the “best thing to do” and that there will be a permit system implemented to allow border communities to travel between each state.

“I apologise for any inconvenience that will cause people who have unavoidable travel to New South Wales,” Mr Andrews told media on Monday.

“The best thing to do is to close the border.

“That closure will be enforced on the New South Wales side, so as not to be a drain on resources that are very much focused on fighting the virus right now across our State.

“There will be a permit system and there will be further detailed arrangements that will be announced by the Premier of New South Wales a bit later on today.

“There will be a facility for people who live on those border communities to be able to travel to and from for the purposes or work and the purposes of the essential health services they might need.”

Ms Berejiklian has been a critic of states – particularly Queensland – that enforced hard border measures and have kept them in place, even as Australia’s coronavirus situation eased, saying she didn’t think it was “logical” to keep borders closed while attempting to reboot the nation’s economy.

“What’s really critical to us now as a nation is to get the jobs going to stop us falling off an economic cliff in a few months time,” Ms Berejiklian told ABC at the end of May.

“For Australia to really move forward as a nation during this very difficult economic time, as well as difficult health time, we do need … to allow people to move between states to live, to work, to see family.”