Queensland reopens border to NSW agriculture workers

Agriculture workers will now be allowed to cross between NSW and Queensland in a relaxing of border controls between the two states. But there are three things they must carry.

Traffic passing through the Queensland/NSW border crossing on Gold Coast Highway, Bilinga. Picture: Jerad Williams

QUEENSLAND has caved to pressure to allow farmers and agriculture workers to move between NSW and Queensland.

The state’s chief health officer has granted an exemption for essential farm and agribusiness workers but to move between the two states they must provide:

A COPY of the Chief Health Officer class exemption letter;

EVIDENCE of their identity, confirming place of residence; and

EVIDENCE they are an agribusiness essential workers (eg letter of employment, business contract, evidence of property ownership or lease or agistment arrangements).

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the Queenland Government’s decision “finally showed some common sense” and was a first step template for other states to work from to ensure agriculture supply lines remained open.

“I called on the Chief Medical Officers in each state to listen to local leaders and finally they’ve done it … My message to other states is there is no need to wait,” he said.

“I urge other jurisdictions to provide their regional communities with similar arrangements to Queensland. Our time critical agricultural supply chains, regional economies and livelihoods depend on urgent resolution of these border issues,” Minister Littleproud said today.

However he said the relaxed restrictions did not go far enough and urgently needed to extend to medical treatment.

Those covered by the exemption include Queensland and NSW residents who need to re-enter the state after travelling to NSW to perform essential agribusiness services, farming activities, veterinary services, care for livestock or agriculture supply chain activities.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Friday that a national code to allow cross-border travel for agriculture workers would be developed over the next fortnight.

The code would be similar to the freight code agreed to two weeks ago, and would be a consistent set of rules for the agriculture supply chain to cross state boundaries more freely.

It follows repeated calls from the farming sector for a uniform approach to agriculture amid the implementation of a hard border between SA and Victoria on Friday and strict rules governing a closed border between Victoria and NSW.

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