Lockdowns signal virus failure, says Scott Morrison

Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivered on Tuesday his most direct plea for the nation to unshackle itself from COVID lockdowns and restrictions.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s push to lift border restrictions was endorsed by the Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group, tourism chiefs and heads of the Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra airports. Picture: Adam Taylor PMO/ via NCA NewsWire

Scott Morrison has implored the states and territories to reopen their economies and scrap border closures, breaking with Anthony Albanese by arguing the Victorian shutdown represented a failure to control the virus during a “cataclysmic second wave”.

The Prime Minister delivered on Tuesday his most direct plea for the nation to unshackle itself from COVID lockdowns and restrictions, as business groups called for NSW and South Australia to open their borders to interstate travel and commerce with Victoria.

Seizing on a surprise motion moved by the Opposition Leader in question time celebrating Victoria’s reopening after defeating a second wave of infections, Mr Morrison warned that the country should not embrace a “future of lockdowns” to manage the virus.

“Borders and lockdowns are not demonstration or evidence of success,’’ he said, “… they are ­evidence of outbreaks that have got out of control. They are evidence of things that have not gone as they should.’’

His push to lift border restrictions was endorsed by the Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group, tourism chiefs and heads of the Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra airports.

BCA chief executive Jennifer Westacott said reopening domes­tic borders by Christmas would be a “$3bn gift to Australians”.

“Arbitrary border closures are a job-destroying blunt weapon. If local containment and tracking and tracing are working well, there is no reason they should stay closed,” Ms Westacott said.

Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said that, by opening up, Victoria had shown “confidence in what has till now been a problematic testing and tracing system”.

“Victoria’s bordering state governments should show the same confidence and move to open soon,’’ he said. “National businesses continue to say border closures are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, barrier to getting the economy moving again.”

While Mr Morrison and Josh Frydenberg called out the failures of Victoria’s hotel quarantine measures, Mr Albanese and Labor deputy leader Richard Marles ­refused to criticise decisions made by Premier Daniel And­rews.

The Opposition Leader said “the whole of Australia has bene­fited from the fact that the Victorian government listened to the health advice (and) took action”, while Mr Marles praised the Labor state government for being “a source of crystal-clear decisions”.

The Treasurer, who led the Coalition­’s criticism of the state government’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, said Victoria and its children had fallen significantly behind because of lockdowns.

He cautioned Mr Albanese and the federal ALP about its characterisation of the Victorian government’s management of the second wave, declaring: “Don’t pretend there hasn’t been a price. The price has been immense and the cost couldn’t have been higher for more than six million Victorians.”

Melbourne Airport chief executive Lyell Strambi, who has pushed for all state borders to reopen as soon as possible, said it was imperative to “develop altern­atives to domestic border closures to manage future outbreaks”.

He said the second wave in Victoria had tested the spirits of residents, as well as being a “drag on the national economy”.

“That is particularly true in the case of aviation, since 40 per cent of Australia’s domestic fleet would normally pass through Melbourne before lunch,” he said.

Australian Tourism Industry Council managing director Simon Westaway said it was imperative for Christmas holiday bookings that borders be opened as soon as possible. Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy ­Osmond said full border reopenings would allow for immediate travel planning.

Mr Morrison told parliament on Tuesday he welcomed moves by states including Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia to begin opening up, and endorsed comments from former Queensland premier Peter Beattie to “open up again”.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is expected to soften­ the state’s border restrictions by Friday — a day before the state election — while Liberal ­National Party leader Deb Frecklington has flagged that she would move swiftly to remove COVID-­19 restrictions if she toppled Ms Palaszczuk at Saturday’s election.

Brisbane Airport chief executive Gert-Jan de Graaff said opening the Queensland border sooner rather than later was essential to save livelihoods and communities.

Mr Frydenberg targeted Mr ­Albanese on Tuesday for comparing Victoria’s success with Britain and France, who are dealing with new waves of infection.

“The comparison is not with the United Kingdom,’’ the Treasurer said. “The comparison is not with the United States. The comparison is with NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia.’’

Mr Marles, whose electorate is based in Geelong and not in Melbourne, where lockdown measures were more extreme, said after the second wave hit in July, “there has been a story of leadership”.

“There have been mistakes. But the Victorian government has also been a source of crystal-clear decis­ions, at the heart of which has been the very best medical advice, which has guided us from where we were back in July, to where we are right now,” he said.

Mr Albanese, whose decision to facilitate speeches for Mr Morris­on and Mr Frydenberg at the start of question time was privately criticised by colleagues, said “the whole of Australia has benefited from the fact that the Victorian government listened to the health advice”.

“There was some criticism on Sunday of the fact that the Premier of Victoria took the sensible position of waiting until the tests that had taken in the northern suburbs of Melbourne came through and they came through with a beautiful figure, zero,” he said.

Despite the Andrews government lifting some restrictions on Monday, The Australian understands the Morrison government remains frustrated by the speed of Victoria’s reopening.

With all states and territories imposing some level of border restrictions­, there is concern that the December 25 deadline could be put at risk if premiers and chief ministers don’t act sooner on COVID-19 rules.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: ROBYN IRONSIDE