25th Aug 2020, 4:30 PM – Senate Motions - Covid-19 - State and Territory Border Closures

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie (Nationals), which means it passed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that regional border communities across Australia are home to hundreds of thousands of residents;

(b) acknowledges that border travel restrictions imposed by state and territory governments have negatively impacted the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of regional Australians who live and work across border communities;

(c) expresses concern for the health and welfare of those impacted by these restrictions within our border communities, particularly where restrictions prevent travel for:

(i) medical/health purposes,

(ii) accessing education,

(iii) accessing employment, particularly in primary production, where the lack of a workforce is preventing primary producers, who feed the nation, from operating, and

(iv) compassionate grounds; and

(d) urgently calls on state and territory governments to:

(i) work together through National Cabinet to adopt a risk-based health approach based on clear definitions of COVID-19 hotspots,

(ii) agree fair and proportionate protocols for essential travel within border communities for:

(A) employment, particularly within the agricultural supply chain,

(B) education, particularly for year 12 students,

(C) health purposes, and

(D) facilitating relocations, particularly for employment,

(iii) agree and publish clear and accessible exemption regulations, which afford natural justice to applicants through an appeals process, and

(iv) adequately resource state and territory services responsible for implementing restrictions and exemptions for border communities.