Canberra Airport pushes for incentives for vaccinated locals

Vaccinated Australians would be allowed to travel freely around the country and be exempt from state-imposed snap lockdown restrictions, under a Canberra Airport plan.

Canberra Airport chief executive Stephen Byron says there’s ‘a complete lack of urgency’ to get vaccinated in Australia because governments haven’t agreed to incentives. Picture: AFP

Vaccinated Australians would be allowed to travel freely around the country and be exempt from state-imposed snap lockdown restrictions in a bid to get more ­people immunised against COVID-19, under a plan being pitched by Canberra Airport.

With business concerned about vaccine hesitancy and a rollout that does not include a road map for economic reopening, the airport’s chief executive, Stephen Byron, said Australians had “no reason to act” and get vaccinated because there were no clearly articulated benefits to an individual and no disease in the community.

“There need to be incentives in place. The risk is the take-up of the AstraZeneca vaccine as we move into over 50s from the 3rd of May will be diminished,” Mr Byron said.

“If you’ve had a vaccine, why would state border quarantine rules apply to you? We accept that (following an outbreak) if you’ve been in a close contact site like a restaurant where there’s been a positive case, there will be restrictions. But the indiscriminate way that returning travellers from city lockdown places are put into home isolation — you ought to be exempt from that if you’ve had a vaccination.”

Other suggested incentives included the abolition of state lockdowns and border closures once phases 1a and 1b of the rollout — for elderly Australians and frontline healthcare and quarantine workers — were completed, as well as the introduction of a travel bubble with Singapore.

While Restaurant and Catering chief executive Wes Lambert endorsed incentives for getting vaccinated, he said businesses that could be used as enticements — for example, immunised Australians should be able to go to a gym, restaurant or bar — should not be closed during lockdowns.

He also pointed out Australians needed a way to digitally prove they had been vaccinated, as the federal government considers how to establish an inter­national digital immunisation certificate for COVID-19.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said shorter quarantine periods for vaccinated travellers sounded like a good incentive but he was sceptical that the state premiers would sign up.

“They will no doubt reasonably point to highly vaccinated Chile, which is currently experiencing a major outbreak despite a more than 40 per cent vaccination rate.

“More than vaccines, what will support our businesses return to normal and contribute to growing our economy is for the states to get their quarantine, testing and tracing processes right.

“If businesses have confidence in the ability of governments to deal with local outbreaks without shutting cities, that will be the ­biggest boost for businesses and employment,” Mr Willox said.

As the number of administered coronavirus doses surpassed two million, Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott said she did not believe people needed to be incentivised to “do the right thing for their community”.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry acting chief executive Jenny Lambert said there could be no vaccine incentives until there was sufficient and stable supply to meet demand.

“Although there may come a point where incentives may be needed, particularly if we can’t shift hesitancy in younger cohorts, there is urgent work to be done now on improving communications and managing community expectations. We should be focusing on ways to reduce hesitancy and build confidence,” Ms Lambert said.