Editorial: War of words erupts over Tasmania border opening

With zero active cases, Tasmanians want to know how much longer we will have to hold our breath on borders as a war of words between high-profile stakeholders reaches boiling point. HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR POLL

THE border between Victoria and Tasmania has become the latest battleground in a new war of words between high-profile stakeholders about reopening states to visitors.

Outspoken former Victorian premier and Hawthorn AFL club president Jeff Kennett yesterday labelled the State Government’s move to keep Tasmanian borders closed as “stupid” and a decision that was killing tourism.

He is known for his passion, and it is true that the state’s economy and tourism sector has been crippled by COVID-19, but there is another side of the coin to his plea to lower the drawbridge.

At issue is a potentially multimillion-dollar question for the Hawks.

Tasmanian taxpayers pay the AFL $8 million for North Melbourne and Hawthorn to play regular and pre-season fixtures in both Hobart and Launceston.

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So far this year, Hawthorn has only been able to play one Marsh Community Series game here, back in March, before COVID-19 took hold after round one.

We know tourism both domestically and internationally has experienced a sharp decline in Tasmania, and seeing that reality in black and white is confronting.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday released its April 2020 snapshot of visitors arriving in Tasmania for a short-term trip (less than one year).

It revealed our state experienced almost a complete wipe-out of international visitors with a 99.8 per cent decrease since the same month in 2019.

Even though it paints a dire picture, looking deeper into our visitor history there is genuine hope of a 2020 revival.

Unsurprisingly, China last year was the leading source country for short-term visitor arrivals for Tasmania, as well as New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT.

But 10 years earlier, it was our friends across the ditch in New Zealand who were leading our international band of short-term visitors.

This is interesting insight, given Australia’s international borders look to remain locked for the foreseeable future, other than a potential trans-Tasman bubble with direct flights between some states, including Tasmania, and New Zealand.

While we want to look to the future and set our sights on new opportunities, even revisiting markets that have worked well for us in the past, looking to our closest mainland neighbours for economic support is our most logical first step.

Our reopening date, contingent on public health advice, has been promised to be revealed next week.

But, as Mr Kennett’s words highlight, there is growing frustration over the uncertainty.

It is clear having a date to work towards — as states like Queensland and South Australia offered up on Friday — will ensure Tasmanians do not continue to fly blind.

While there is argument that people will want certainty of the date once it is announced, the Premier would surely be forgiven if, for example, another local outbreak was to occur, and the date had to be revised.

This virus has always been an evolving beast.

But with zero active cases, people want to know how much longer we will have to hold our breath.