WA Premier Mark McGowan slams doors on Covid states

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has ruled out any early reopening of the state to arrivals from NSW and Victoria this year.

Beatriz Perez have both had their Covid-19 vaccination during the Queensland Premier's week-long Vax-a-thon in Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has ruled out any early reopening of the state to arrivals from NSW and Victoria this year.

As he announced that WA would ease its border restrictions with Queensland in coming days, Mr McGowan said the state would not follow the recent lead of Queensland and reopen to Covid-infected jurisdictions before Christmas.

He also said the state would not yet entertain any incremental reopening or easing of restrictions for double-vaccinated visitors from NSW or Victoria.

“We’re not going to do that. When you are vaccinated, you can still spread the virus,” Mr McGowan said.

Lifting the state’s remaining border restrictions early would likely require the reintroduction of other Covid management measures that had been absent in WA for almost all of the pandemic, he said, and could hurt the state’s economy.

“Imagine if we open up and do what they’re proposing to do before Christmas and then we have to put in place mask-wearing requirements and restrictions on the number of people going to restaurants and cafes, and how many people can come to Christmas lunch. I don’t really want to do that,” he said.

He said the reliance of Queensland’s tourism industry on visitors from NSW and Victoria, and the remaining Covid restrictions still in place in the state, meant it was in a different position from WA to consider lifting its border rules.

WA currently has the lowest two-dose vaccination rate of any state in Australia. The head of Australia’s vaccine taskforce, Lieutenant General John Frewen, has said he was “not optimistic” about the state’s chances of hitting its 80 per cent two-dose rate by Christmas.

While WA maintains its border restrictions, unvaccinated patrons will still be banned from entering some restaurants and sporting ­venues in Queensland and Victoria into 2022.

In a bid to boost vaccination rates ahead of Australia’s reopening, Labor premiers Daniel Andrews and Annastacia Palas­zczuk say those who choose not to be vaccinated against Covid-19 without a valid reason would be blocked from venues.

The Queensland Premier said it was up to individual businesses whether to enforce a jab mandate as her government weighs up banning unvaccinated people from state-owned facilities.

“(Businesses) may actually say only vaccinated people can come into their pubs, clubs, restaurants or sporting games and that is about ensuring everyone is safe in those venues,” she said.

“If you want to travel to other parts of Australia, go and get vaccinated. I don’t want people to be left out so please get vaccinated.”

Meanwhile, NSW has flagged a looming reprieve, with unvaccinated residents able to enjoy the same freedoms as vaccinated ­people from December 1.

When asked whether Victoria would consider a similar approach, Mr Andrews said he “didn’t think so … Please don’t play the game of ‘let’s just wait this out and then we will be able to do everything we want to do’. That will not be the case.”

In Queensland, businesses will be incentivised to lock out unvaccinated people with the promise of a total end to public health orders, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said. “We hope we can release all restrictions on those venues that choose to only have people who are vaccinated,” he said.

“Venues that continue to have people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated will continue to have some level of public health restrictions, probably until we meet the 90 per cent threshold.”

Additional reporting: Anthony Piovesan