NT stymied in bid to bring Aussies home as leaders prepare to meet for National Cabinet

THE Northern Territory is ready and willing to help Australians overseas, but won’t be able to do so until commercial airlines choose to land international planes in Darwin.

THE Northern Territory is ready and willing to help Australians overseas, but won’t be able to do so until commercial airlines choose to land international planes in Darwin.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner, on the eve of another national cabinet meeting on Friday, confirmed he remained in discussions with the Prime Minister and other state and territory leaders on how to get more Australians home while still keeping the Territory safe.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

It comes as Scott Morrison played hardball on bringing Australians home, saying the “planes will land with people on them and they’ll be arriving” — while standing firm that the federal government had decided the weekly cap on international arrivals would increase.

The issue will come to a head in national cabinet on Friday, as increasing the space for hotel quarantine for Aussies stranded overseas hits high on the agenda.

The federal government announced on Thursday Queensland and WA would double their intakes to 1000 arrivals a week, and South Australia would take on an extra 100 a week.

There are about 26,000 Australians stuck overseas attempting to return home, prompting the government to lift the international arrival cap nationally from 4000 people a week to 6000.

But raising the cap on international arrivals remains a moot point for the Northern Territory.

A look inside the Howard Springs quarantine facility. Picture: Ben Sale/ Other Side Productions

While willing and able to use its Howard Springs quarantine facility, no commercial airlines are opting to come here as it is believed they don’t view it as commercially viable.

It’s understood the NT would be willing to house international arrivals once this occurred, and would seek to strike a deal with the federal government for extra resources as the government rushes to hire people to staff the Howard Springs facility.

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“The Territory is already doing a lot of heavy lifting for the nation. I will keep working with the PM to see what more can be done,” Mr Gunner said.

National cabinet will also be presented with an update from Jane Halton, a member of the National COVID Coordination Commission, who has been conducting a review into the hotel quarantine system across the country.