NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian slams other states over virus response

With the NSW-Victoria border set to open, Gladys Berejiklian has hit out at other states for being too quick to do one thing after just a ‘couple of cases’.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has slammed her state counterparts for shutting down their economies when they have a few coronavirus cases.

Her swipe, including at fellow Liberal Premier Steven Marshall, came as NSW becomes the first jurisdiction open to all states and territories.

NSW on Sunday recorded its 15th day of no new local coronavirus cases. Eleven cases were detected among returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.

“What’s been demonstrated to me, is that other states are moving very quickly to shut down their entire economy is when they have a couple of cases,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“I don’t agree with that position.

“I respect the South Australian premier but I wouldn’t have shut down my state after having that information.”

And when asked about Queensland, Ms Berejiklian accused the Palaszczuk government of “making up stuff as they go”.

“They keep changing the rules, they keep spouting advice I’ve never heard of,” she said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she’s proud to open her state to all Australian jurisdictions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Speaking in Albury before the lifting of the NSW-Victoria border at 12.01am on Monday, Ms Berejiklian said she was confident in her state’s strategy to live in a COVID-safe way.

“We’ve had the most practice at it and I can appreciate that some of the smaller states haven’t,” she said.

“That is what takes us apart from the rest of the country, our QR codes, our social distancing, all of us in NSW are really making the effort not to let our guard down.

“That’s what will continue to keep us safe and this border opening.”

Ms Berejiklian said the four-month closure was estimated to have cost several million dollars but you could not put a price on “keeping the community safe”.

The NSW-Victorian border will lift at midnight. Picture: Simon Dallinger.

More than five million cars crossed through the border checkpoint and one million permits were given out during the hard border.

The border also gave NSW police further insight into the transportation of drugs from Victoria and SA into NSW and on to Queensland.

“We have learnt some lessons in relation to that and how people are transporting drugs through heavy transport and hire vehicles,” Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said.

“Our highway patrol and other officers would be working through summer right up and down NSW will be looking for opportunities to keep people of NSW safe.”