We are not opening up to everyone yet – Australian PM

Australian Prime minister Scott Morrison dampen the New South Walese premier’s plans, to open the international borders, saying tourists would be at the back of the queue following the NSW government’s shock announcement that both hotel and home quarantine will be scrapped for vaccinated travellers.

The decision, announced by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, means that from November 1 — vaccinated NSW residents flying in from overseas countries will no longer have to enter any form of quarantine.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s unilateral decision to scrap hotel and home quarantine for vaccinated international tourists shocked the Morrison Government.

At a press conference in Canberra this afternoon, the Prime Minister delivered a diplomatic slap down for the NSW Premier, noting that it was the Commonwealth that controlled tourism visas and decided who comes to Australia. Prime Minister insisted Australian residents, skilled migrants and international students would take priority first.

“We are not opening up to everyone coming back to Australia at the moment. I want to be clear about that,” Mr Morrison said.

“It is for the Commonwealth and Federal Government to decide when the border opens and shut at an international level and we will do that.

“In the first instance it will be for Australian residents and their families. We will see how that goes.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has welcomed NSW opening its borders to fully vaccinated international travellers, who will no longer need to quarantine in hotels, or at home from next month.

While November 1 was the date both the PM and NSW Premier were working towards to open international borders, the decision open the borders to international tourists were ‘surprised’ to the Federal government. Federal government sources noted NSW “don’t choose how we open up the borders and to whom”.

The Prime Minister had previously signalled that it was his preference to ensure all Australians who wanted to come home for Christmas could do so before tourism reopened.

“For double vaccinated people around the world, Sydney, New South Wales is open for business. We want people back. We are leading the nation out of the pandemic”

“Hotel quarantine, home quarantine is a thing of the past. We are opening Sydney and New South Wales to the world.” Said NSW premier this morning

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison was quick to dampen the NSW plans.

“We are not opening up to everyone coming back to Australia at the moment,” Mr Morrison said this afternoon.

“I want to be clear about that. We will take this forward in a staged way as we have done in all these things. It is for the Commonwealth and Federal Government to decide when the border open and shut at an international level and we will do that. We are not rushing into this.”