WA Premier Mark McGowan says home quarantine idea is a ‘recipe for disaster’

A Premier has slammed an overseas travel idea, saying Australia is facing ‘one of the most risky’ periods since the height of the pandemic.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan says bringing down the international border this year is a “mad” idea and home quarantine for returned travellers is a “recipe for disaster”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has flagged the idea of allowing international travel for vaccinated Australians, with people quarantining for 14 days at home upon their return.

Mr McGowan said he had also noted some commentary out of NSW calling for the international border to come down, but warned it was a bad idea.

“They are mad and I don’t understand why they are pursuing this,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

Premier Mark McGowan says bringing down the international border this year is a “mad” idea. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tony McDonough

“Bringing down the international borders at this point in time or having reduced measures where people just quarantine at home or something of that nature en masse when they return from overseas is a recipe for disaster.”

Mr McGowan said he backed the idea that people should be vaccinated if they wanted to go overseas.

“But I think it’s too early for us to have mass international travel,” he said.

“We need to see Australians one, get vaccinated in large numbers and two, a reduction in the prevalence of the virus overseas before such time as we can get back to international travel in numbers.”

Premier Mark McGowan says it is too early for mass international travel. Picture: Aircraft generic

Mr McGowan said Australia was facing “one of the most risky” periods since the height of the pandemic last year due to the number of people testing positive to COVID-19 in hotel quarantine.

“I don’t know why that is occurring,” he said.

“I don’t know if people are providing fraudulent certificates, I don’t know if they’re getting COVID on the aircraft, I don’t know if from the COVID testing clinics they’re acquiring the virus and they’re negative when they arrive there and then they acquire it and then they get on the aircraft and come back to Australia.”

Mr McGowan said he had raised the issue with the Prime Minister last week when he met with him.