NSW Premier looks to return workers to Sydney's CBDs
Working from home in NSW could be on the out, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying she wants to support businesses to return to Sydney's multiple CBDs.
"We do want people to get back to those CBDs and we want people to support those economies and those businesses that have essentially been inactive for seven to eight months," she told Ben Fordham on 2GB on Wednesday morning.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.Credit:Edwina Pickles
Asked for her views on a trans-Tasman bubble, the Premier said she was still very keen for an arrangement with New Zealand to go forward, but she hoped it would be reciprocal from the outset.
"I'm more than happy to be the first state that welcomes Kiwis, but I also hope they are willing to welcome us back," she said, adding that she "couldn't feel prouder" of her state for following health advice and suppressing the virus.
"If there are opportunities for us to boost jobs, to increase opportunities for international travel ... we will happily be the first state to do that."
Meanwhile, the Premier said states with closed borders were "living in a false sense of security", and would need to learn to live in a more COVID-safe way once the country opens up.
Asked if NSW would consider moving from its four-square-metre rule for hospitality venue capacity to a two-square-metre rule following an industry push, the Premier told Sunrise states which had those more relaxed rules had stricter border controls in place.
"Some other states have adopted [the rule] because they have the borders up," she said. "They are living in a false sense of security because they are not welcoming people from other states.
"We have said if you want to keep the economy going, get rid of the borders, allow people to move freely, get the tourism industry going and of course, we can look at the opportunities into allowing more people into hospitality venues but we need to make sure we are ready for that."
The two-square-metre rule is in place for venues in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.
More to come
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Mary Ward is a reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.