So far,more than 3.6 million vaccine doses have been administered across the country.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the idea of a vaccine passport would be discussed at next week’s National Cabinet meeting,but Labor leader Anthony Albanese said it was a poorly conceived thought bubble.
“What are you going to do? Have passport police set up between Tweed Heads and the Gold Coast? I mean,for goodness sake,” he said on Monday morning.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan were both concerned such a plan would in effect create two classes of citizens.
“I think it’s unconstitutional,” Senator Hanson told Sky News.
Crossbench senator Rex Patrick said it was a distraction from issues with the rollout.
“Once we’ve got enough people who have signed on to get the vaccine,I think all these issues of passports go away,” he told Sky News.
Independent member for Indi Helen Haines,who represents the Victorian border community,asked Mr Morrison to give an “iron-clad guarantee” the federal government would not introduce a vaccine passport scheme.
“The Prime Minister’s recent comments about a vaccine passport for interstate travel have alarmed my constituents,” she said on Monday afternoon. “Such a passport would impose extraordinary hardship on our community once again.”
Mr Morrison said it was a good idea to allow fully vaccinated people to move across state borders despite any border restrictions that might have been put in place.
“I would have hoped that that would be a good suggestion,particularly for those living in border communities where they have been fully vaccinated and in the rather extreme situation if border arrangements were put in place by state governments,” he said.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was more important to focus on the job of getting people immunised.
Home Affairs boss Michael Pezzullo confirmed there would be no significant reopening of the international border before June 2022,but said travel bubbles with Singapore and Pacific countries were a possibility before then.
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”The gradual removal of restrictions on Australians’ ability to travel internationally at scale,when conditions allow,will require significant preparation,including by way of collaboration across Australian government departments and agencies and with states and territories,airlines,airports,and international partners,” he said.
Mr Pezzullo also told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday that work was under way to establish a “Digital Passenger Declaration”,which would include information about a person’s health and vaccination status. He said the DPD could mean citizens would not have to quarantine on return to the country if they had been vaccinated in Australia.
“At the appropriate time,subject to public health advice,this[DPD] could support Australians’ ability to travel without the need for 14 days’ quarantine on return,including by providing additional assurance to support the future delivery of potential alternatives to hotel quarantine,” he said.
Credit:Matt Golding
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