Australia’s international travel ban extended to December 2021

Australia's borders will remain closed and most international travel banned until 17 December 2021, with the exception of any country-specific travel bubbles, following an extension of the 'biosecurity emergency period' that enables the Federal Government to place restrictions on overseas flights and cruise ships. This will mark 21 months since Australia’s borders were closed due to  Covid-19.

However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated the international border could reopen earlier for some states, upon reaching vaccination targets. Australia is now on track to reach an 80% vaccination – the milestone at which the government's four-stage timeline has promised borders would begin to reopen.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she wants Aussies overseas reunited by Christmas in NSW and her citizens to be allowed to leave after the 80 percent vaccination rate is hit. At the current rate that would be October 31.

While state borders are ultimately a matter for the states, the Prime Minister controls the international borders, and he has indicated today the country does not have to move together on this matter.

States that have fully vaccinated 80 per cent of people aged 16 and over will be able to resume international travel, the Prime Minister said.

This marks a shift in rhetoric from the Morrison government, with senior members, such as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg previously saying the preferred route was the reopening of borders for the whole country, rather than individual states.

Regardless, Health Minister Greg Hunt today confirmed that the "human biosecurity emergency period" declared under the Biosecurity Act 2015, which has been in place since 18 March 2020 and was previously due to end on 17 September 2021, will be extended by an additional three months "until 17 December 2021."

While the rolling three-month ban remains largely a formality and the travel ban expires the day before Qantas expects overseas flights to resume could be more than a coincidence.

Qantas announced  its first flights to Singapore, London, Los Angeles and Vancouver on 18 December, with other destinations including Tokyo and Honolulu appearing over the following week.

"It's obviously up to government exactly how and when our international borders re-open," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce cautioned when he revealed the new schedule last week, but says he has shared his plans with the government "and they agree with our broad assumptions, and agree that our plan is reasonable."

Those plans would also hinge on the prospect of either quarantine-free travel bubbles or 'green lanes' between countries, or a limited period of manageable home isolation on their return to Australia instead of spending 14 days in hotel quarantine for upwards of $3,000.

Australia is now on track to reach an 80% vaccination, the milestone at which the government's four-stage timeline has promised borders would begin to reopen.

More than 20.3 million doses have been administered across the country so far, and vaccinations continue at a rate of roughly 1.8 million doses a week.

Health Minister Greg Hunt noted the country was 2 million doses away from reaching 70 per cent of everyone aged 16 and over having had first doses, but Mr Morrison would not say when the government expects the same proportion to be fully vaccinated.