WA’s plight: to be locked in and lonely

WA Premier won’t be swayed on reopening state before hitting vaccine target, as business heavyweights weigh taking him on in court.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan says he won’t open the border until the state hits 90 per cent fully vaccinated.

Australia will remain a nation ­divided between east and west after Mark McGowan declared Western Australia’s borders would remain locked down until February reviving threats of a legal challenge from travel industry heavyweights.

Despite the national vaccination rate standing at about 80 per cent — triggering border reopenings — the West Australian Premier said his state would need to achieve 90 per cent full vaccinations before he would lift the hard border with the rest of the nation.

With major industries warning of critical workforce shortages and families facing the prospect of being divided over Christmas, Flight Centre chief executive Graham Turner revealed he had already taken advice from his lawyers who were “quite confident we can be successful” with a legal challenge.

“We haven’t made a decision on it yet but we’ll have a good look over the weekend and see if we go ahead with it. I’m reasonably confident we will,” Mr Turner said.

Mr McGowan said his “island within an island” approach would save 200 lives and ease pressure on the health system, declaring his state would not be swayed.

“We won’t be pressured into a different approach,” he said.

The choice to keep in place the hard border came despite national cabinet receiving final Doherty Institute modelling endorsing the 70 and 80 per cent vaccination thresholds for the easing of ­restrictions. State and territory leaders also agreed to consider scrapping quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated close contacts.

Business and tourism groups warned that the WA decision represented a violation of the ­national plan, breathed new life into a possible High Court challenge and would cost the tourism sector billions of dollars over the busiest period of the year. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the patchwork of entry conditions nationwide was unfortunate as Australia started to reopen. He said it was “frustrating for vaccinated travellers who would reasonably expect they can move freely and easily”.

The Perth-based chairman of the national carrier, Richard Goyder, said the WA road map sounded “a bit like a plan to have a plan”, while Mr Turner questioned whether the 90 per cent vaccination rate was realistic.

“I suspect they’ll never get to 90 per cent,” Mr Turner said.

“If they do I think it will be significantly later than the end of January. We had a conference this morning with our lawyers and we’re looking at a couple of different options where they’re quite confident we can be successful (in a legal challenge).”

The announcement from Mr McGowan followed the reopening of free travel between Victoria and NSW and coincided with the first meeting of national cabinet in over a month, where political leaders discussed international borders, hospital capacity and the progress of the vaccine rollout.

Mr McGowan said that to reach the 90 per cent threshold about 250,000 more people would need to get vaccinated, with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA arguing for the reopening to be brought forward.

CCIWA chief executive Chris Rodwell said the delay was “not only putting WA at a disadvantage in the next few months, but potentially for years to come”.

“It’s not easy to inject life back into our tourism, aviation, events sectors, to revive certain exports,” he said. “All parts of our economy are challenged by skills shortages, places like the Pilbara have the worst shortages in the state. It’s absolutely critical now to do all we can to bring that date forward.”

Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox warned Mr McGowan was turning Western Australia “into a fortress of fear at a time when the rest of the country is opening up.”

“States have had 18 months to prepare their citizens and their health systems and have no realistic excuse for remaining economic hermits.”

As updated Health Department figures revealed WA was the only state not to have lifted a single five-year age bracket to the 90 per cent double dose threshold, Scott Morrison appealed for vaccination rates to be increased in ­jurisdictions unscathed by the devastating east-coast Delta-lockdowns where there was a “different level of urgency”.

“What’s most important, whether it’s in WA or Queensland, is they need to get those vaccination rates up,” the Prime Minister said.

“The real task is to get those vaccination rates to those same levels we’re seeing in other states.”

Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott said Mr McGowan’s plan would “make this another tough, lonely Christmas for many West Australians hoping to return home or see friends and family ­interstate”.

“NSW and Victoria are reaping the economic benefits of returning Australians and new international and domestic visitors and the Northern Territory is getting a boost from new international flights,” Ms Westacott said. “The longer this goes on the more opportunities will simply bypass Western Australia.”

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive chairman for tourism John Hart branded the WA announcement “insane” and warned it would further jeopardise direct flights from the UK to Perth.

He said the delayed WA border reopening would “certainly have an impact in the billions and it’s not just the impact of people travelling into the West for Christmas; it’s also outbound and return travel from West Australians.”

Announcing his decision, Mr McGowan said modelling showed the easing of border restrictions at an 80 per cent vaccination rate, due to be achieved in WA in ­December, would result in “far more infections, hospitalisations, and deaths”. However, reopening after 90 per cent of the population was double jabbed would lead to a ­reduction in general ward beds of 70 per cent and in ICU beds of 75 per cent.

“The cumulative number of deaths is reduced by 63 per cent,” he said. “The difference in easing border controls at 90 per cent rather than 80 per cent is 200 West Australian lives are saved. The next step is coming. After nearly two years, we’re on the verge of a new chapter. A chapter that will reconnect Western Australia with the rest of the world, but done the right way. The West Australian way: safely, carefully, and responsibly.”

Under the plan, when the borders are opened, free travel from interstate will be available to the double-dose vaccinated who return a negative PCR test 72 hours prior to their departure. They will also have to undertake a test within 48 hours of entering Western Australia. International arrivals will not be subject to quarantine if they are fully vaccinated, but those who are not will still be required to complete 14 days quarantine in a designated facility.