Fast-track travel now for Covid-vaccinated, says business

The nation’s biggest industry group is demanding Scott Morrison and national cabinet fast-track home quarantine and travel for fully vaccinated people.

‘Zoom is a poor replacement for people-to-people meetings,’ says airconditioning manufacturer Jon Seeley. Picture: Roy Van Der Vegt

The nation’s biggest industry group is demanding Scott Morrison and national cabinet fast-track home quarantine and travel for fully vaccinated people, saying businesses can no longer wait for borders to open – despite outbreaks plaguing NSW, the ACT and Victoria.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox has written to the Prime Minister this week on opening up international borders, but Mr Morrison is unwilling to move from his 70 per cent vaccination target.

Mr Willox told The Australian on Tuesday that job and investment growth were being hurt by the inability of businesspeople to travel, with deals going to people in countries already open.

“While travel exemptions for business travel can be obtained successfully if strict criteria are met, the barriers to doing business in other countries remain prohibitive for many. These include the risk of being bounced off return flights when inbound quotas are reached and the costs, stress and risks of hotel quarantine on return,” he said.

“Similarly, businesses looking to bring in experts to advise on technical issues or repair specialist equipment and potential customers and investors are being put off for the same reasons.”

Adelaide businessman Jon Seeley’s airconditioning manufacturing firm has factories in Australia and the US but he has been unable to travel for the entirety of the pandemic and worries that border closures will begin to bite the business.

He also warned national cabinet that the push to advocate climate emissions-friendly tech­nology worldwide – such as his energy-efficient airconditioners – would suffer if businesspeople could not make face-to-face contact with foreign investors.

“Zoom is a poor replacement for people-to-people meetings … I’m hoping I will be able to travel by October at the latest to our plant in Denver,” he said. “But I’m not sure I will get permission to go despite (being) fully vaccinated.

“The governments need a risk management approach that lets fully vaccinated people travel and get business up and running.”

A Morrison government spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the national reopening plan would look at reopening the international border – with conditions – and lifting arrival caps only when the 70 per cent vaccination threshold was passed.

“The plan highlights that Australia can safely consider the start of changes to international travel when 70 per cent of Australians are fully vaccinated,” the spokeswoman said.