Coronavirus: Support grows for vaccination freedoms

A majority of Australians believe people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 should be exempt from border restrictions, according to a national survey.

Brisbane sisters Holly, 23, and Ashley Creak, 25, pregnant with her first child, says they are both optimistic about the future. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

A majority of Australians believe people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 should be exempt from border restrictions, according to a national survey of attitudes to pandemic responses.

The survey of 3881 Australians from all states and a range of income brackets found 53.4 per cent want border restrictions to end for those who have been vaccinated. The strongest support was in Victoria, where 60.3 per cent of respondents agreed.

The survey categorised respondents by age and found those who agreed most strongly with exemptions for vaccinated Australians were aged 60 and above – 60.1 per cent were in favour.

The survey by CoreData was commissioned by the West Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

It found nearly twice as many Australians believe that interstate travel restrictions should come to an end once vulnerable people – including all Australians over 70, Indigenous people aged 55 and over and aged-care residents and workers – have had the opportunity to get vaccinated.

The survey asked Australians to respond to the statement: “Once everyone in phase 1A and 1B has had the opportunity to be vaccinated, all interstate borders should be lifted”. The survey found 46.8 per cent agreed while 25.5 per cent were opposed.

The WA Chamber of Commerce said the responses were a strong indication that Australians did not want to be held back by those who opted not to get vaccinations.

The survey found fewer than one in five – 16.6 per cent – of Australians surveyed opposed travel bubbles with nations whose populations were substantially vaccinated.

Asked about travel bubbles with destinations with a 70 per cent vaccination rate, 57.3 per cent were supportive. More than 60 per cent of respondents in Victoria and NSW supported travel bubbles in these circumstances. Australians aged under 39 were most strongly in favour, with more than 61 per cent supportive.

Sisters Ashley and Holly Creak, who each graduated from study and entered the workforce during the pandemic, are optimistic Australia is finding a path out.

Holly, 23, hopes vaccination will be her ticket to travel more in her 20s. “I would say that with the vaccine things are looking more hopeful,” she said.

“And I think we’re understanding better ways to handle outbreaks – we’re getting on top of them more quickly and managing them better.”

Ashley, 25, works with her sister at the Nurses‘ Professional Association of Queensland, and said she had been stressed about finding work during the economic downturn after completing a course in nutrition.

Overall she was optimistic things would get better, but said her child, due in December, would also be affected by the pandemic.

“I think the financial hardship will linger for the rest of our lives or generation, just because we’ll be in a lot of debt from everything,” she said.

In the survey, almost half – 49.3 per cent of the respondents – said they supported home quarantine for returning travellers as a higher proportion of the population became vaccinated.

There was opposition to home quarantine from 30.9 per cent of respondents.

The results will be published on Monday, three days after national cabinet released a four-stage plan to guide Australia out of pandemic restrictions.

The first stage relies on Australia completing its vaccination rollout.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would ultimately be in a position to treat Covid-19 “like any other infectious disease”.

WA Chamber of Commerce chief executive Chris Rodwell said it was critical for WA, the state leading Australia’s trade effort, to resume business with the rest of the world. He said the vaccination levels developed to underpin national cabinet’s approach must reflect the health advice in full knowledge that Australians across the country are committed to reopening the nation.