PM places Trans-Tasman travel on level footing with long-haul interstate routes

PM places Trans-Tasman travel on level footing with long-haul interstate routes

Trans-Tasman travel "is something that will sit alongside when we're seeing Australians travel from Melbourne to Cairns," according to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

This statement identifies both Morrison's and New Zealand PM's Jacinda Ardern's eagerness to reconnect our two economies.

Plus, it could mean that Australians looking to head overseas may be able to do so as soon as widespread interstate movement is reinstated.

Speaking this afternoon in Canberra following a meeting of the National Cabinet Morrison said travel between Australia and New Zealand is a particularly important element for both countries' economic rebound.

While travel between the two nations is "still some time away" Morrison says reopening borders is a part of the ride back to normality.

"Both Australia and New Zealand will start connecting with the rest of the world again and the most obvious place for that to start is between Australia and New Zealand," Morrison said.

Morrison stressed that reinstating these flights paths will be a huge relief to the tourism and airline industries, considering the two way travel between the two countries totals to around 1.4 million people a year both ways.

"Almost as many Kiwis come here as Australians go there, and particularly for states like Queensland there is a much greater share of that," Morrison said.

"As we're building up our economies again, and particularly for the Trans-Tasman travel and what that means for the airlines as well, that will be important to support jobs in those sectors so we're working cooperatively together.

"New Zealand has stronger biosecurity and border arrangements as do we, so it's the obvious place to start."

As for interstate travel the PM says we could be leaving our home state by July for a holiday.

"Hopefully by the end of term school holidays if they're able to go and have a holiday on the Gold Coast or in South Australia or wherever it happens to be out of one's home state well then let's hope that that's possible," Morrison said.

"That will be great for those places in terms of the tourism impact.

"That is all part of getting back to that COVID-safe economy, but what is really important is people need to still hold to those principles that are around the COVID-safe environment."

Updated 4:19pm AEST on 5 May 2020.

 

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