Trent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison's government's national plan to reopen Australia is helping restore the freedom of Australians to travel and how safely reopening our international borders to visa holders will create more economic growth and drive the creation of new Australian jobs?

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I thank you for your service to the parliament, particularly in your role as Speaker. You have been outstanding. I thank the member for his question and for his very consistent advocacy on behalf of those in his electorate to make sure that Australia's borders are opened as soon as it is safe to do so. Australians have certainly kept their side of the deal by getting vaccinated. Currently, the vaccination status that we have in Australia is that more than 85 per cent of Australians over 16 have received two doses of the vaccination and over 90 per cent have received their first dose. That ranks amongst the highest in the world. So now, in line with the national plan, we are keeping our side of the deal by opening our borders in a safe and very carefully managed way as soon as we possibly can.

We have already made some very important steps forward together. From the start of this month, fully vaccinated Australians have had the freedom to travel internationally once again, and fully vaccinated parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents are free to come here. So families can be reunited on our shores and grandparents can see their grandkids again. That's happening now.

But it is important that we take the next step forward. So, from 1 December, we will be lifting the exemption requirements for a range of economic visa holders who are fully vaccinated so that our businesses can bring in the workers that they need to keep growing and creating even more jobs. That is so important for our economic recovery as we come through COVID. We will also be welcoming back fully vaccinated international students to support our universities and schools and those who work and study here in Australia.

Importantly, those fully vaccinated eligible visa holders who are in Australia who have worked with us throughout the pandemic and who have contributed to our communities will now be able to reunite with their families overseas and return to their jobs and studies here in Australia. We'll welcome a range of family and humanitarian visa holders.

On top of that, from 1 December, we will also be extending the quarantine-free travel safe zone for citizens in Japan and South Korea, much like the system that's already underway for Singapore. This is safe, it's important and it's fair that we go through this process of reopening our borders, and we need to take this step by step. It is so important that we open up our borders as it is safe to do so. We committed to this, and this is exactly what the Morrison government are doing. We are taking it one very important step at a time.