Coronavirus: Western Australia goes backwards as other states open

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan’s border closure is costing the state’s tourism sector more than $200m.

Western Australia Labor Leader Mark McGowan has defended his decision to keep the border shut, confident that his state has “the strongest trading economy of anywhere in Australia by a long, long way”.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan’s border closure is costing the state’s tourism sector more than $200m, while other low-risk states begin to open their borders.

Mr McGowan has stood by his economic rationale for keeping the WA border shut off from other states to keep jobs and tourism opportunities within his jurisdiction, despite warnings from federal ministers that he may be breaching the Constitution.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Friday she would open her state to all NSW visitors from November 1 — the day after the state election — and Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said he would open the Apple Isle up to all low-risk COVID-19 states on October 26.

Tourism Council WA chief executive Evan Hall furnished figures on Friday showing the state’s residents had not come close to making up for the loss of visitors from interstate since Western Australia closed its borders, and warned that it would struggle to compete with other open states.

In WA, there was a $214m decline in the value of domestic tourism, a drop of 26 per cent, in July compared with July 2019 figures, according to the latest national visitor survey results.

Although intrastate visitor spending grew $72m, this was nowhere near enough to compensate for the $286m lost from the lack of interstate visitors, Mr Hall said. The number didn’t include the $193m lost from the lack of international visitors.

“Without a doubt, we will save more jobs with interstate tourism than without, and we will save more tourism businesses with interstate workers than without,” Mr Hall said.

“Western Australian visitors have saved regional accommodation and hospitality businesses after months being shut down. However, tourism businesses cannot be sustained without interstate visitors and workers.

“Queensland is a direct competitor to WA and is now taking bookings for family reunions, Christmas holidays and winter getaways in 2021.”

But Mr McGowan stuck to his indefinite border closure on Friday, saying his policy has boosted the state’s economy and allowed West Australians to live with fewer restrictions.

“In Victoria, they have lockdowns everywhere. In NSW, they have a 4sq m rule and all sorts of restrictions on the things people can do,” the Premier said.

“Queensland is today celebrating that people can stand up and have a drink as though that is some great achievement. We have been able to do all those things and more for months … and, what’s more, our economic future is very bright. (We have) the strongest job vacancies of anywhere in Australia by a long, long way. The strongest trading economy of anywhere in Australia by a long, long way. And the best health outcomes by a long, long way.”

He said there would be no benefit in opening to COVID-free territories such as South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory as people would leave WA for other jobs and holidays.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, the senior West Australian in the federal cabinet, said Mr McGowan was denying West Australians their constitutional right to travel to other states.

“Economic state protectionism is explicitly prohibited in the Constitution,” he told Sky News.

University of Sydney constitutional expert Anne Twomey said section 92 of the Constitution clearly prohibited restrictions on interstate trade.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: PATRICK COMMINS