Last week, the Northern Territory (NT) confirmed that it would keep hard border controls in place for at least another 18 months, with the closure remaining indefinite for Victoria:
Mr Gunner told ABC 24 the list of banned states and territories was more likely to increase than decrease, and 18 months was a “conservative” estimate for when the borders would be wide open again.
“We have got an indefinite ban on Victoria, and Sydney keeps bubbling away to a point to I can’t give you a date where that would ever lift,” he said.
“My advice to every Territorian, if you can, stay here in the Territory. You’re safe here, don’t go.
“If you can, cancel your Christmas holiday plans, stay here in the Northern Territory”…
Mr Gunner told ABC 24 the list of banned states and territories was more likely to increase than decrease, and 18 months was a “conservative” estimate for when the borders would be wide open again.
“We have got an indefinite ban on Victoria, and Sydney keeps bubbling away to a point to I can’t give you a date where that would ever lift,” he said.
“My advice to every Territorian, if you can, stay here in the Territory. You’re safe here, don’t go.
“If you can, cancel your Christmas holiday plans, stay here in the Northern Territory”…
At the same time, the NT Government is rolling out the red carpet to international students from virus-ridden nations, and taxpayers will help foot the cost:
The Northern Territory is set to join South Australia in welcoming back international students, with plans in place for a charter flight of about 100 students to arrive in Darwin and spend two weeks in quarantine.
NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner… put the proposal for a “secure corridor” pilot return of students to Scott Morrison several weeks ago.
The federal government is understood to have been ready to approve it then but held back because the NT government went into pre-election caretaker mode, a period when no major decisions are taken.
However, both Mr Gunner’s Labor Party and the opposition Country Liberal Party are believed to be ready to reactivate the pilot plan if they win government…
According to Mr Gunner’s “secure corridor” proposal to the Prime Minister, 100 students from several Asian countries were to have taken a charter flight from Kuala Lumpur to Darwin last week on August 10…
The NT government was ready to pay half the $2500 per student cost of the two-week quarantine for students who were studying at Charles Darwin University or other Territory tertiary institutions.
Meanwhile, Australians returning from overseas to the NT are being charged the full $2,500 cost ($5,000 for families) for their hotel quarantine. Thus, international students will receive more favourable treatment from the NT Government than the Territory’s own returning residents.
The NT Government, like South Australia, has kowtowed to the rent-seeking university lobby at the expense of actual voter constituents and citizens of this country.
The public anger at the University industry is because their actions on many fronts has been against the national interest and the cause of moral hazard and asymmetrical risk.
We’ve witnessed the universities’ treason with Confucius Institutes on campus, the treatment of Drew Pavlou, negotiating special deals at the start of the pandemic for students to skirt travel bans via third countries, and now a special deal for students to return to Australia as part a wider plan whilst the rest of us cannot travel interstate or leave the country.
Why on earth would the NT Government bring in infected foreigners, at taxpayer’s expense, when we see daily reports of quarantine failure everywhere and one outbreak could smash the economy to smithereens?
There is no such thing as a “secure corridor”. This is pure marketing spin.
In order to maintain the strongest possible quarantine integrity, no one should be allowed into Australia unless they are citizens or permanent residents. There must be no exceptions and no special deals for the rent-seeking university industry.
