Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain, has called on the Victorian government to carefully consider the livelihoods of people living in border communities when making travel permit decisions.
“I’ve reached out to the Victorian Government because it’s important that regional communities aren’t tarred with the same brush as Sydney,” Ms McBain said.
“The health and safety of everyone is our top priority and we must continue to follow health advice, but we also need to ensure that our regional communities don’t suffer unnecessarily.
“While the ‘Border Bubble’ remains in place, many local businesses are still losing out as they rely on tourists travelling up from all parts of Victoria.
“This is why I’ve asked the Victorian Government to consider making all border communities ‘Green Zones’ as soon as possible.”
This would allow Victorians to travel in and out of NSW as long as they remain within the 50km Border Bubble area.
“My thoughts are with all Victorians who are in lockdown, and I know Eden-Monaro border communities are standing ready to welcome them back as soon as restrictions allow,” Ms McBain said.
“But we want Victorians to be able to come back here and spend time in our region, without fear of being locked out because of borders closures.
“Eden-Monaro border communities are hundreds of kilometres from Sydney and have remained mostly Covid-free throughout this pandemic.
“Border communities have had a horrendous couple of years. They were devastated by the Black Summer Bushfires, they persevered through a four month border closure last year, on New Year’s Eve, in the height of Summer, the border was snapped shut again so thousands of tourists flocked to leave the area ,– and let’s not forget many are still recovering from the recent floods.
“What Eden-Monaro really needs now is a show of confidence.
“Businesses and individuals are crying out to let Victorians continue to holiday in our region – their jobs depend on it.”
“We need a common-sense approach to border closures and making border communities ‘Green Zones’ remains a sensible thing to do.”
The Member for Eden-Monaro says she is committed to keeping the conversation open with the Victorian Government to ensure border communities aren’t forgotten. The Federal member says : "Repeated lockdowns and border closures are devastating our local businesses.
I've been approached by numerous Eden-Monaro business owners asking if there is any support available.
"It can be really hard to make sense of what support is out there - so I've tried to make it as simple as possible below.
"Please share this with any local business owners - and don't forget to check in on them. Times are tough and support is important.
For more information and to apply head to https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
