Australia has now joined the US, France, India, Japan, Malaysia, Spain, Korea, and England among other nations in introducing similar measures.
Mr Butler said the government would provide further detail on the type of test passengers would need to take, but it was important to ensure they were “robust and verifiable”.
“The Australian government shares the concerns that have been expressed over recent days by a number of other governments and importantly by the World Health Organisation,” he said.
The health minister said advice provided by the nation’s chief medical officers said travel between the two countries posed no immediate public health threat to Australia, which was well placed to manage the pandemic.
He said the Omicron variant BF.7 – which is behind the wave of growing infections in China – had been present in Australia since mid-2021.
Mr Butler said the government also intended to explore the feasibility of testing the wastewater from aeroplanes, in addition to widespread community wastewater testing to bolster Australia’s detection capacity
The country would also strengthen its tracing of people who test positive within 14 days of having arrived in Australia from overseas.
The health minister said the resumption of travel between the two countries was “really important” to for economic activity, particularly in the tourism and education sectors.
“These arrangements have not been put in place lightly,” Mr Butler said.
AAP