Trade and Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham says time will tell if the border closures to Sydneysiders was the right decision.
“What we urge right now is for Sydneysiders to do as they’re doing and we’re very grateful for them in terms of responding to the health advice, doing what’s best,” he told the Today Show. “The border closures have been a fraught debate all through the year.
“If we can, we should see borders reopen as quickly as possible.”
He added that border closures meant people wouldn’t be travelling for the holiday which would have large impacts on local economies.
“Historically, one in 13 Australian jobs rely on our tourism and hospitality industry. So these sorts of disruptions come at huge cost in terms of many small businesses, many people whose livelihoods depend on this work,” he said.
“My message to people is if you’re in a position to do so, take a travel credit, make plans to rebook as soon as you can into the future. Understand there are Australian small businesses and Australian jobs doing it tough and we want to see support for those sectors for people continuing to travel as soon as it’s safe and possible to do so.”
