‘COVID-19 pushed people to re-imagine how they wanted to live, and the general freedoms they were seeking’: Survey reveals Aussies quarantined in NT during COVID peak to get into other states

EXCLUSIVE: A survey by Charles Darwin University shows most Australians who quarantined in the NT during the peak of COVID-19 restrictions did so for a particular reason. READ THE RESULTS.

NEW survey results show the majority of participating Australians who quarantined in the Territory during the peak of COVID-19 restrictions did so to transit into other jurisdictions.

Charles Darwin University surveyed more than 300 people who stayed in the Howard Springs and Todd Centre quarantine facilities between mid-September last year to the end of this January.

Results showed 45 per cent of people listed their reason to quarantine as a way to transit into another state or territory.

MORE TOP NEWS

Person from India repatriation flight tests positive to COVID in Howard Springs

PM teases ‘proposal’ to use Bladin village to help with agriculture worker shortage

EXCLUSIVE: Feds wrongly issued invoices to people for non-existent stints at Howard Springs

Out of those surveyed, 71 per cent were Victorian and 30 per cent said they were relocating to the Territory for the short or longer term.

CDU Northern Institute Research Associate Fiona Shalley said the results also indicated older Australians were quarantining in the NT to transit to other states, while younger participants were more inclined to be relocating to the Territory either for the long or short term.

“It is speculating to label them as ‘COVID refugees’ because the NT traditionally has a high population churn,” she said.

“But we found some stories to suggest that the pandemic may have inspired at least some of the moves.

“COVID-19 pushed people to re-imagine how they wanted to live, and the general freedoms they were seeking.

“Slowing down and having access to outdoor activities becomes very attractive to people when harsh restrictions are enforced, so what the Territory has to offer plays well into this space.”

Ms Shalley said the results also showed a change in where Territorians thought they would be living in the future, providing a golden opportunity for the NT.

“After the onset of the pandemic, Territorians were more likely to think they would still be living here in two years’ time, and this was consistent across all the age groups of people who participated in the research,” she said.

Follow @raphsaroukos