Australia’s border set to reopen to skilled migrants, students

A significant stoush has erupted over Australia’s migration plan, with a minister labelling Anthony Albanese as ‘weak’ for opposing it.

Tourism Minister Dan Tehan has blasted Labor leader Anthony Albanese as “weak” for not backing the government’s plan to take 160,000 new migrants each year.

Australia will allow skilled migrants and students back into the country on December 15 after the emergence of the Omicron variant caused the government to put a two week pause on the reopening plan, which was due to come into effect on December 1.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg revealed on Saturday they expected an extra 120,000 migrants than initially forecast in May last year to enter the country.

Mr Albanese told Sky News he wanted to prioritise giving Australians the skills to fill jobs.

“We’ve become too reliant upon temporary migration rather than training Australians up for the jobs that are available,” he said.

Mr Tehan slammed Mr Albanese as “weak” for not backing the migration policy.

“All the experience shows that (migration) actually helps with Australian jobs, because the more skills you have got the more businesses can operate, the more that they can employ, and if they can’t get access to those specialist skills often it means they can’t put extra jobs on,” he said.

“So it’s a matter of getting the policies right.

“And Anthony Albanese, we don’t know what he actually stands for.

“He sort of, he says one thing one day, he says one thing another.

“What we do know is that he is pretty weak when it comes to these types of of decisions and what he says one day does not mean that that’s what he’ll do the next.”

Australia’s border will reopen to some people on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed on Monday that they would move forward with the opening plan this Wednesday.

“We said on the 29th of November that we were intending to reopen on 15 December. That has been through the National Cabinet process,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“That has been reaffirmed over the weekend in consultation with the Prime Minister, the National Cabinet discussion and the advice from the Chief Medical Officer.”

Meanwhile, Mr Hunt also shot down concerns the AstraZeneca vaccine may not provide protection against the Omicron variant.

A small study conducted by British government scientists found people who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had minimal protection against the new strain. A course of two Pfizer doses offered little more than 30 per cent protection.

But a booster shot, if using Pfizer, can bring protection levels back up to 71 per cent for AstraZeneca recipients and 76 per cent for Pfizer.

Asked about the study, Mr Hunt said the advice from Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly is that the vaccine continued to provide protection against hospitalisation and death.

Mr Hunt says Australia is following the latest medical evidence. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

“The advice continues to be that all of our vaccines provide strong, clear protection against serious illness, hospitalisation and loss of life. That is a very important point,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“We will continue to follow the medical evidence and if there were additional advice, we will follow that.”

On Sunday, Australia’s vaccine advisory body gave the green light to reducing the wait time to receive a booster down to five months.

Mr Hunt said Australia had 151 million vaccine doses set aside for the booster program.

So far, 670,000 Australia have already received their third shot.

Mr Hunt says Australia has enough doses set aside for our booster doses. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Overnight, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared all Britons aged 18 and over will have a chance to receive a booster shot due to rising fears about he Omicron strain.

“There is a tidal wave of Omicron coming, and I‘m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need,” he said.

The booster program was due to be opened to those aged over 30 on Monday, but Mr Johnson said every adult who received their second vaccine three months before will now be able to book a booster jab.

It comes as Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce left the door open to changing the definition of fully vaccinated.

“If greater efficacy meant getting double jabbed and a booster that I guess that‘s what the medical authorities will say,” he told Sunrise.