Senate debates

Wednesday, 25 August 2021

Statements

COVID-19: State and Territory Border Closures

1:58 pm

Photo of Perin DaveyPerin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last year I told the Senate the story of students who were being told that they must traverse through two COVID hotspots to get from one COVID-free zone back to their homes in another COVID-free zone, all because of arbitrary rules that required these students to travel by the most bizarre route rather than the most direct route to get home. The same thing is happening again 18 months later. In term 3 this year students that are residents of New South Wales have actually given up trying to go back to school in Victoria. The last time they attempted to get home many of them had to walk across bridges from Victoria to New South Wales because their parents were banned from collecting them from the school and walking across the border was the only way to get them home reasonably. Now we have the horrific situation of 10 students being locked in New South Wales without being able to get home to their parents, unless they go through two weeks of hotel quarantine in Melbourne. It's a disgrace.

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