Open borders now or Australia's $80billion tourism industry could collapse - urgent warning issued as one state plans to stay shut until SEPTEMBER
- The federal government wants borders open to save the tourism industry
- Trade minister urges state and territories to open interstate borders when safe
- Queensland Premier says its borders may remain shut until September
- Sparked anger from tourism operators, health officials and the NSW Premier
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
States and territories maintaining closed borders to control the coronavirus spread have been told they are crushing Australia's struggling tourism industry and must open up to interstate travel.
With international borders closed for the foreseeable future due to coronavirus, the federal government is encouraging Australians to holiday at home instead, keeping the $80 billion tourism industry alive.
Tourism, which employs one in 13 Australians, has been one of the hardest-hit sectors as non-essential travel had been banned to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus which has claimed 99 lives across the country.
But a major obstacle to travel is the ban on interstate visitors enforced by all states bar New South Wales and Victoria.
Annastacia Palaszczuk, the premier of Queensland which boasts many of Australia's top tourism destination, said on Monday that the state's borders may remain closed until September.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says its borders with NSW (pictured) may not open until September, which has sparked widespread concerns
That defied a federal government 'road map' for easing restrictions, which set July 10 as the date for interstate travel to resume.
Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham acknowledged that health was the priority but said it was also important to get the economy moving again.
'Those states who've got border controls in place, assuming we've continued to see very low rates of transmission of COVID-19, ought to be looking at opening up their borders,' Senator told the Today Show on Tuesday morning.
'We need people moving across this country again when it's safe to do so.'
Western Australia and South Australia have also indicated their borders won't reopen anytime soon - even forcing their AFL teams to relocate interstate for the resumption of the season rather than allowing them to fly back home without undergoing 14 days in quarantine.
But it's Queensland's plans to keep borders closed in the coming months that have sparked the biggest uproar.
A popular holiday destination, 2.2 million interstate overnight visitors spent more than $1.5billion in the Sunshine State last winter alone.
Queensland is a popular holiday spot for interstate visitors seek winter sun. Pictured are Gold Coast locals soaking up the sun at Burleigh Heads earlier this month
'Things would look more positive towards September. Having said that, I don't want to rule anything out,' Ms Palaszczuk told ABC News Breakfast on Monday.
Federal Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly believes Queensland's closure 'doesn't make sense'.
'I've never believed it's been necessary to shut them down but the actual shutting down, and therefore the reopening, will be a decision by the elected governments of the particular states,' Professor Kelly told ABC radio on Monday night.
'It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, to be honest, but that's a decision for the Queensland government.'
Interstate visitors may not be enjoying the beaches of Burleigh Heads (pictured earlier this month) anytime soon, which could spell disaster for the local economy
New South Wales residents cannot take holidays in Noosa (pictured) due to border restrictions preventing them from getting to QLD
Computershare founder Chris Morris, who owns tourism businesses in north Queensland is concerned the sector could collapse unless borders reopen in time for holidaymakers seeking winter sunshine.
He reopened reservations for Orpheus Island in the Great Barrier Reef in north Queensland after the federal government released its 'road map' for easing restrictions.
The island was booked out for July by mostly interstate guests, which will be cancelled unless the Premier reverses her decision and brings forward the reopening of borders.
'We've done everything since then: hiring people, taking bookings. It makes us look stupid and it makes Queensland look silly,' Mr Morris told The Australian.
'I've had 200 applications for jobs in the past week,' he said. 'I'll have to write to everyone to say sorry.'
Orpheus Island has been booked out for July by mostly interstate guests. But most reservations will have to be cancelled if Queensland's borders remain closed for winter
Flight Centre chief executive Graham Turner described the closed borders as a disaster for Queensland's economy.
Queensland's borders also sparked an angry response from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
'Closing borders doesn't help Australia, it doesn't help any of the states, it doesn't help our population and it doesn't help economic activity,' she said on Monday.
With international borders closed for the foreseeable future, there are growing calls to kick-start the struggling tourism industry by reopening interstate borders. Pictured are returning travellers at Sydney International Airport on May 8
'This notion that you are somehow going to completely eradicate the virus from Australia is beyond reality. I can't foresee that happening in a population of 25 million people,' she said.
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan refused to set a time for removing his state's borders.
Hitting back at Ms Berejiklian's demands, he said: 'She is persistent, but our advice to her is no, we will make these decisions when the time is right.
'There is clearly much greater levels of community transmission and infection in New South Wales and Victoria than here.'
Those states maintaining closed borders are banking on a boost to their local economies as those people wanting a holiday being forced to do so close to home.
Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, a senior Lecturer in Tourism Management at University of South Australia, said that local businesses in less populated states were very keen for interstate travel to resume.
'In terms of tourism businesses there is more money coming from the wealthier states and the more money you've got circulating the better,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
She warned that intra-state travel alone may not be enough to keep businesses that depend on tourism alive.
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'The sort of travel that's going to be easiest and that people feel comfortable with - such as camping and caravaning - isn't the best for the economy because people might not spend a lot.
'South Australia, for example, would love to attract wealthier tourists from inter-state and when the borders come down we're going to be competing for their custom.'
However, Dr Higgins-Desbiolles said state premiers are unlikely to relax the borders until community transmission is reduced in NSW and Victoria.
'Until then this puts our federal system in a bit of tension,' she said.
Regions such as Port Douglas (pictured) in north Queensland are not available to anyone outside the state due to border restrictions
