Victoria’s decision to join New South Wales and safely end hotel quarantine for vaccinated travellers will build confidence and certainty in our reopening plans, Business Council chief executive Jennifer Westacott said.
“Today’s announcement is welcome, we urge the Victorian government to follow the NSW government’s model and accelerate the easing of other restrictions in line with the reduced risk.
“Removing hotel quarantine for vaccinated and tested international travellers is common sense because vaccines work. This will help send the message to the world that Australia is open for new jobs and investment.
“Critically, it will help get Australians home, fix some of the skills bottlenecks that make it hard to get new projects started and attract international students back to our world class universities.
“It also creates the environment for the businesses that are the backbone of our economy to ramp up their activities, just as we’ve seen Qantas do today.
“While some states are taking crucial steps now, those lagging behind are undermining our momentum to recovery and running the risk that Australia remains collection of divided states.
“Every state and territory should be acting now with clarity and purpose to outline their reopening plans, reunite the country and get on with the recovery.
“It would be ludicrous to allow people to enter the country freely but not move between the states when they get here.
“In return for doing the right thing and getting vaccinated, Australians should be rewarded no matter where they live.”
