Mayor calls for urgent clarification about Moree Plains Shire restricted border zone

Mayor calls for urgent clarification about Moree Plains Shire restricted border zone

Mayor of the Goondiwindi Region the Honourable Councillor Lawrence Springborg AM is calling for urgent clarification about the border zone rules for residents entering Queensland from the Moree Plains Shire Council local government area (LGA).

The Queensland Government announced yesterday that the Queensland border will reopen at 1 am on Monday, 13 December - and that fully vaccinated border zone residents with a border pass will be able to move across the border, no COVID test required.

However, despite the upcoming changes, the Premier has since clarified that the Moree Plains Shire LGA is currently still a ‘restricted border zone’ and will have different conditions of entry.

Details about these conditions have not yet been provided.

Cr Springborg says the restricted border zone status is having a significant and unfair impact on the highly vaccinated communities in the Moree and Goondiwindi border zone.

“I’ve heard from many fully vaccinated people from the Moree council area who have been unable to get to work in Goondiwindi for more than four weeks now due to its status as a ‘restricted’ border zone area.  These people have no other source of income as the government assistance for COVID related disruptions is no longer available,” the Mayor said.

“And likewise, we have Queensland residents unable to get to work in New South Wales as they would not be allowed to return home under the restricted border zone rules.  In addition, many local Queensland based businesses have lost significant income due to border zone residents not being able to access many local services and products.  As we head towards the Christmas holiday period, those businesses need our region to open up again and quickly.

“The irony is that, as of this week [6 December 2021], the Goondiwindi Region is the first LGA in Queensland to reach over 90% of the population fully vaccinated - with 91.5% of residents having had both jabs. The Moree LGA is 86.5% double-vaccinated – no other LGA in Queensland is higher, except Goondiwindi.

Cr Springborg is also calling for clarity about what requirements must be met for the ‘restricted’ status to be revoked.

“At the moment, residents are unfairly being held in limbo, with no sign of it ending. Especially with the holidays approaching, residents need to have some indication now of when this restriction will be lifted so they can get back to their lives and livelihoods.”

The Mayor said that, overall, the Queensland Government’s new border restrictions will be much simpler for border zone residents who are fully vaccinated than the current system.

From 13 December, fully vaccinated residents from non-restricted border zone LGAs will be able to move freely across the border without the need for a PCR test. Border passes for border zone residents will be valid for 14 days.

Unvaccinated border zone residents will be restricted to travel for the limited reasons that exist now.