Qantas blasts states over Covid virus border bans

Qantas has attacked the states for imposing Covid restrictions as vaccine rates increased and public sentiment shifted, claiming they triggered unintended consequences and were disproportionate to the risk.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Qantas headquarters in Sydney last year to launch the airline’s Yes campaign. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA Newswire

Qantas says imposing Covid-19 restrictions as vaccine rates increased, variants weakened and public sentiment shifted “resulted in new unintended consequences and, in many cases, was disproportionate to the risk”.

The national carrier, which under former chief executive Alan Joyce was criticised for its performance during and after the pandemic, attacked state and territory governments for “inconsistent” policy responses that damaged business.

In its Covid inquiry submission, Qantas pushed back against “the long tail of domestic border closures, even once the majority of the population was vaccinated”.

“(It) was unnecessarily destructive to businesses and the community, and was directly contrary to the World Health Organisation’s advice against ongoing travel bans,” the Qantas Group submission, penned by chief health and safety officer Ian Hosegood, said.

“As subsequent Covid-19 variants weakened, public sentiment shifted and Covid-19 vaccination rates increased later in the pandemic, applying the same containment measures resulted in new unintended consequences and, in many cases, was disproportionate to the risk.”

Qantas, which claimed a $25bn revenue hit and being forced to stand down more than 25,000 people as a result of Covid-19, took aim at the states and territories for failing to work with the commonwealth to develop a national framework harmonising domestic border closures.

“One of the defining features of the Covid-19 pandemic in Australia was the inconsistency of the policy response across the states and territories and the acute implications of this variation for businesses operating across domestic borders, including aviation,” it said.

“The patchwork of border controls, exemptions and entry pass systems made the Covid-19 pandemic extremely difficult for businesses that continued to deliver essential services between states and territories.”

The Business Council of Australia criticised the scope of the Covid inquiry as “too narrow”.

“The link between the health and economic responses between the commonwealth and the states cannot be ignored as part of the broader inquiry. The strengths and weaknesses within our federation were laid bare for Australians in a salient way during the Covid pandemic,” the BCA submission said.

“The exclusion of states from scrutiny in this inquiry has not adequately been explained and means the focus of this inquiry is too narrow. A complete inquiry should cover all levels of government and society, and include the role of business.”

The Australian Industry Group made five recommendations on the importance of open borders, a nationally consistent approach to communication and establishing more resilient supply chains.

“As a mid-sized economy, Australia has become a globally connected nation, confident in its role on the world stage. Closing our borders shook that confidence. It also had a practical impact on the movement of goods and people and business operations,” its submission said. “Most damaging was (the) sense of permanence to the decision and the inability for businesses to develop strategies to mitigate the impact.”

In its scathing assessment of the Covid response, the Australian Council of Trade Unions said the nation’s “comparative advantage was squandered”.

“We failed to observe the way the virus was moving and disrupting life and society in other parts of the world and take the necessary action protect and support Australians. Critical to these failures was our inability to understand the dynamic nature of work and workplaces,” its submission said. “We must have a trusted national voice and co-ordinating mechanism. The case for an Australian CDC (Centre for Disease Control) is clear. It must have a broad advisory body including unions and employers and be independent of government.”