SA to return to 40km border buffer zone with Victoria

South Australia has relented and will return to a 40km buffer zone for its border with Victoria.

Police monitor the Princes Hwy at Mt Gambier. Picture: Tait Schmaal

SOUTH Australian Premier Steven Marshall has relented to pressure to dismantle the state’s hard border with Victoria just four days after it was introduced.

Mr Marshall said a 40km buffer zone would be reinstated at midnight on Thursday.

“We don’t want to be disrupting communities but will always act on expect advice,” he said.

Border communities expressed relief over the loosening of the controls governing the border, with many crossing daily for education, farming, medical and essential needs.

The new rule will allow Victorian border residents to travel 40km into SA without an exemption.

SA’s backflip comes a day after Queensland relented to pressure to allow farmers and agribusiness workers moving to and from NSW without needing to quarantine for 14 days.

Pressure remains, however, on NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to soften her Government’s stance on movement between Victoria and NSW, particularly for agriculture and medical purposes.

At a press conference in Canberra this morning, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said Queensland had shown leadership on the issue, and it was time NSW followed suit.

“They were very quick to criticise yet they’ve done three parts of bugger all in trying to help Victorian regional Australians in getting those borders in (a) practical commonsense solution.

“So now, it’s beholden on the NSW Government to do what South Australia is doing and showing some leadership, showing some common sense in sitting down with their Victorian counterparts to get a workable solution,” he said.

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