This Week’s Travel Update – Australia

Take a look at this week’s travel and border update for Australia

 

VICTORIA

No permit or approval is required to enter Victoria from another State. Visitors still need to adhere to the state’s restrictions and directions upon arrival. Please see other states for information relating to travellers from Victoria.

 

NEW SOUTH WALES

Visitors from all other States, excluding Victoria, can come to NSW for a holiday or work purposes.

Those entering NSW from Victoria are required to undertake a mandatory quarantine at the expense of the individual.

Flights are still permitted to land at Sydney Airport. Border entry permits are required for those who wish to transit through NSW to another state or overseas.

Please note that passengers who are travelling from Victoria to ACT are not allowed to drive through NSW and must seek alternative means of travel.

VICTORIA to NSW

Border region residents

A single border region that extends 50km either side of the border has been in place since the 4th of September. Locals residing within this zone can apply for a ‘border region resident’ permit to cross the border.

Those eligible for a Border region resident permit are the following;

  • A Victorian border region resident crossing the border.
  • A NSW border region resident crossing the border.
  • A NSW or Victorian border region resident crossing the border:
    • to permanently move home.

From the 17th of September those holding a permit can travel between states for any reason.

Non-border region residents

Under the Public Health (COVID-19 Border Control) Order 2020, anyone who has been in Victoria in the past 14 days must not enter NSW unless:

  • They hold a current ‘NSW border entry permit’
  • They are authorised to enter under the order.

A person may be eligible for a permit if they’re residing in and providing a critical service on a non-border region. Specific criterion apply. Employers of highly-specialised critical service workers in non-border regions can register for a COVID-19 NSW border entry permit for their workers. – Please see https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-covid-19-nsw-border-entry-permit for more information.

 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Travellers from ACT, NT, QLD, TAS and WA are now able to enter South Australia directly without restriction or the requirement to self-quarantine.

From 24 September, NSW is also considered part of the low community transmission zone. People entering from NSW will not be required to undertake COVID testing or 14 days self-quarantine upon arrival as long as during the 14 days immediately before they’re arrival, they have been in the low transmission zone (ACT, NT, QLD, NSW, WA or TAS).

All travellers must obtain pre-approval via Cross Border Travel Registration.  All travellers entering South Australia by road or via the Adelaide Airport must complete the ‘Cross Border Pre-Approval form’ 14 days before arrival.

VICTORIA to SA

Travellers from Victoria other than approved categories of ‘Essential Travellers’, are not permitted to travel to South Australia. Checkpoints or road blocks will be set up at all border crossings between SA and VIC.

Since the 28th of August, Cross Border Community Members of the SA/VIC border are now permitted to enter SA if they reside within 40km of the border for essential purposes only.

Anyone wishing to enter South Australia from Victoria as an ‘Essential Traveller’ will need to complete a Cross Border Travel Registration form. An exemption from SA Health is required to support the cross-border travel application for those travelling under the health-related categories. These exemptions must be requested online via the Health Exemptions application.

All travellers must have had a COVID-19 test in the past 7 days. Essential Traveller status can be granted to individuals who can confirm their legitimate reasons for travel and may come with or without self-quarantine restrictions.

 

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

The Australian Capital Territory does not currently have any domestic border restrictions other than with Victoria. Travellers arriving from NSW and QLD face additional rules when entering the state. Travellers from TAS, NT and WA can enter the ACT without restriction and do not need to quarantine.

VICTORIA to ACT

Under a Public Health Direction anyone (other than ACT residents) travelling into the ACT from VIC will be denied entry unless they are granted and exemption by ACT Health.

Those traveling from Victoria can now only enter ACT via Canberra airport. ACT residents in Victoria can return home via air but are required to quarantine for 14 days after leaving VIC. Residents must notify ACT Health 72 hours prior to returning to the ACT.

Non-ACT residents who wish to enter the ACT by air, from VIC, must prove they have exceptional need to travel to the ACT and apply for an exemption at least 72 hours prior to the intended travel date.

Exceptional circumstances include

  • Urgent medical care
  • Law enforcement
  • Emergency purposes
  • Transit reasons related to freight and/or business reasons
  • Transit through Canberra whilst remaining in Canberra airport
  • Travel after an unbroken 14 day hotel quarantine in Melbourne originating from overseas travel

 

Those eligible for an exemption are those who are

  • Providing an essential service such as
    • Healthcare
    • Government, law enforcement or military
    • Member of parliament or staff
    • Education
    • Agriculture
    • Construction, engineering, or manufacturing
  • Compassionate grounds
  • Attending a funeral of an immediate family member
  • Entering the ACT as a person in transit
  • Needing to attend medical appointments
  • Required to attend court or legal proceedings
  • Entering for child access or critical care arrangements

Those granted exemption will need to quarantine for 14 days at home or in an ACT Health approved hotel.

NSW to ACT

People who have been in specific Local Government Areas (LGAs) and suburbs in Greater Sydney Area are advised not to visit or work in high-risk settings including aged care facilities, hospitals, and correctional facilities, for a period of 14 days after leaving the Greater Sydney Area. There is no requirement for these people to quarantine. However, if they develop COVID-19 symptoms, they should immediately quarantine and get tested.

QLD to ACT

Travellers coming from the ACT into Queensland will not need to quarantine upon their arrival, as long as they have not been in a COVID-19 hotspot in the past 14 days.

 

QUEENSLAND

To enter QLD, all travellers will need to complete a ‘Queensland Border Declaration Pass’. This will include agreeing to get tested for COVID-19 if they develop any symptoms within 14 days of arriving in Queensland.

Anyone can enter Queensland unless they have been in a COVID-19 hotspot which currently includes Victoria and most of New South Wales, unless you are providing an ‘essential activity’.

You will have to quarantine when you enter if you have

  • Been overseas in the last 14 days
  • Been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 in the last 14 days
  • Been in a COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days (and you are allowed to enter)
  • COVID-19 or have had COVID-19 in the last 14 days
  • Had COVID-19 symptoms in the last 14 days

NSW to QLD

A ‘border bubble’ has been established for residents on the NSW/QLD border.

From 1st October, the border zone will expand to include the following Shires: Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes.

Residents in these new areas will need to apply for a border pass to travel into Queensland.

Queensland residents will also be able to travel to these NSW Shires from 1st October.

QLD to ACT

From 25th September the ACT is no longer considered a COVID-19 hotspot and travellers coming from the ACT into QLD will not need to quarantine upon their arrival, as long as they haven’t been in a hotspot in the past 14 days.

Travellers from the ACT will need to fly into QLD.

 

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

At this point in time no one can enter WA unless granted an exemption via the G2G pass. Those who are entering WA are required to quarantine for 14 days, please note that arrival in WA is counted as day 0. Quarantine costs will be at the individual’s expense.

Exemptions may be granted for on the grounds of

  • Performing a function under a Commonwealth law
  • Truck drivers who deliver goods
  • Specialist skills, involved in time-sensitive critical maintenance or repair of critical infrastructure
  • People employed in agriculture, food production or primary industry
  • FIFO workers (who must quarantine at the cost of the employer)
  • Emergency service workers
  • Compassionate grounds
  • Members of the House of Representatives and Senators of the Commonwealth Parliament
  • Carers and relatives who need to care for a dependent person
  • Dependent persons who need to be cared for by a carer or relative
  • People whose residential facility, such as a boarding school, has closed, who need to return to stay with family or a carer
  • People who need to comply with a court order

 

Travellers who have been in VICTORIA or NSW in the last 14 days

Travellers who have been in Victoria or New South Wales in the previous 14 days will not be allowed into WA, unless they fall into the additional exemption categories.

 

NORTHERN TERRITORY

All travellers arriving in the NT must fill out a border entry form. Those previously in a hotspot will need to complete 14 days of supervised quarantine which is a total cost of $2500 per person, at the expense of the individual.

The Greater Sydney will be removed from the NT’s hotspot list on the 9th of October, granted the numbers remain low.

 

TASMANIA

Essential Travellers 

Essential travellers who have spent time in high-risk locations will require pre-approval from the State Controller to enter the state. These travellers are required to undertake clinical assessment that includes COVID-19 testing. Those who are accepted and pass the clinical testing are not required quarantine. Essential travellers must undergo health screening and follow described conditions for travel if they are to remain in Tasmania.

Since the 31st of August, all travellers will be asked health symptom questions and undergo a temperature check. The questionnaire must be completed online on hour before travelling. Travellers will receive a text prior to departure with a link to the online form.