MEMBER for Mildura Ali Cupper says it is encouraging that the Federal Government has entered negotiations with state premiers about a broader “border bubble” between Victoria and New South Wales.
Ms Cupper joined Member for Murray Helen Dalton and Member for Northern Victoria Tania Maxwell a fortnight ago in imploring Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take up the issue.
“It’s pleasing to see the Federal Government is now involved and an announcement about broader bubbles for essential workers, including farmers, is imminent,” she said.
“It was reported that there will be positive outcomes for the agricultural sector, in particular, so we look forward to seeing the detail of the new permit arrangement.”
Ms Cupper also wrote to Mr Morrison lobbying for the Federal Government to appoint a Minister for Temporary Borders to oversee separately managed low-risk zones across state lines to maximise safety while minimising disruptions to the economies and social fabrics of border communities.
“These hard border closures – both on the NSW and South Australian borders – have had a huge impact on the day-to-day lives of our communities with very little benefit to public health,” she said.
“We have always said there needs to be some sort of border restrictions, but those restrictions need to be proportionate to the risk and the continual hardening of the restrictions has been draconian.”
Ms Cupper said she was continuing to lobby South Australian Premier Steven Marshall and his government to abandon its plan to tighten its border on Friday, effectively banning people from Victorian border communities crossing to South Australia for supplies, education or medical services.
“The number of coronavirus cases in Victoria seem to have stabilised and are continuing to fall and the same situation is happening in regional Victoria,” she said.
“I am also waiting to hear back from the Victorian Government about providing a fuel tanker in Murrayville should the South Australian Government push ahead with its plan.”
