August 14, 2020
Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has criticised the “arbitrary” nature of COVID-19 border closures, saying State Premiers should be working more closely with border communities.
Minister Littleproud, whose electorate of Maranoa stretches almost the full length of the Queensland / NSW border, was speaking on ABC Breakfast television on Friday morning.
Mr Littleproud said the closures were interrupting supply chains and causing potential animal welfare issues in regional areas where there were not many cases of COVID-19.
“Agricultural movement between States and most of those regional communities out there don’t really care about borders,” Mr Littleproud said.
He said regional residents have businesses on both sides of the border – or deal with businesses on both sides – because it was convenient.
“Otherwise it’s hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. So, it’s more convenient just to deal with your closest community that could be on the other side,” Mr Littleproud said.
“The practical application of some of the arbitrary closures means that supply chains can be interrupted.
“We’re coming up to harvest and if we can’t get our harvesters there, if we can’t even get our vets into some of these communities there’s also animal welfare issues.
“And we’ve got farmers with properties on both sides of the border that can’t get up and make sure their stock have got food and water.”
Mr Littleproud said he was asking the State Premiers “to come together and understand and appreciate that regional Australia is a little bit different”.
“(I’m) not asking them to take back the border closures, but just say work in a practical sense with these communities, with industry and understand it, as well as the human toll.”
The Minister said the current “mini-bubbles” between Queensland and NSW had not been well thought out and did not go far enough.
“They’ve got to be predicated on science, I respect that. They need to make sure they are going into areas that don’t have COVID cases that are alive and active, and that can be achieved,” he said.
“But you need to understand and work with these communities locally, not just make the call from Brisbane or Sydney or Melbourne but actually get out and understand from these communities what the practical application is for them about living their lives, but also about feeding and clothing us.”
Speaking on ABC Radio, Mr Littleproud said the border closures would be raised at National Cabinet discussions.
“The Prime Minister is himself going to escalate this, because he sees the gravity of the situation that’s coming before us,” Mr Littleproud said.
“He is going to inject himself and ask the Premiers in each State to inject themselves together and understand each other’s borders and implications, and the actual solutions, the practical solutions that can change people’s lives.”
He said practical solutions to border problems were possible, for example Goondiwindi Shire Council had erected electronic gates.
“They gave those people on the NSW side a PIN code that only they could get through the gate,” Mr Littleproud said.
“I think the gates cost them around $20,000, and in essence, you don’t need anyone on the border.
“This is the sort of practical solutions that can take place, and we just need to work through this.”
