ANNE Webster has hit back at critics lambasting her for refusing to co-sign a letter calling for improved processes around state border closures, saying “it’s difficult to understand why the letter was written.”
Member for Murray Helen Dalton this month called on all federal and state MPs along the Victoria-New South Wales border to sign a joint letter to the Prime Minister requesting a national approach to state border closures and ongoing financial support to border town businesses impacted by the closures.
Mildura MP Ali Cupper signed the letter, along with her Reason Coalition partner Fiona Patten, Wagga Wagga MP Joe McGirr, Victorian Legislative Council members Tania Maxwell and Tim Quilty, and Mrs Dalton.
But Dr Webster said she was at a loss as to why they felt it was necessary at all, saying the Federal Government addressed the requests when it committed to a national approach months ago.
“The reality is that agreement has already been made, bar Western Australia,” Dr Webster said.
“There was a media statement on the 23rd of October from the Prime Minister and from National Cabinet – an agreement and a framework for national reopening.
“The Prime Minister, obviously, given that he’s signed off on that … is already committed to open borders, and to having a national approach to hotspots and hotspot management.
“Having a national agreement is exactly what the letter is about. So to me, maybe they hadn’t seen the press release in October.”
Dr Webster said the Federal Government’s main goal was to open the country back up, rather than simply manage border closures.
“It is not natural or normal for Australia to have closed borders,” she said.
“What I hear on the ground from border community businesses is they just want the borders open. That’s what we need. Let’s solve the actual issue rather than putting Band-Aids on these sores that really just shouldn’t be there in the first place.”
But Dr Webster said the buck stops with state governments to provide financial support to border businesses thrown into financial turmoil by successive border closures.
“(Business owners) should go to the state governments with that, because ultimately, it’s the state governments that have closed the borders,” she said.
“They’re fully within their right to go to the state government and say ‘we want some reparation for the losses that we’ve experienced.’”
