They’re not neighbours, yet somehow New South Wales and Western Australia have managed to engage themselves in a border skirmish.
The verbal grenades between the two state’s premiers have created fresh cracks in the relatively harmonious cooperation between the states and territories over coronavirus.
So what’s really going on?
While a medical expert panel drove the decision to shut Australia’s international borders, decision-making about domestic travel has been made by individual states and territories.
Those with closed borders — the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia — have cited health reasons for their reluctance to reopen them too quickly.
But NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian clearly has her state’s economy in mind as she calls for these borders to reopen.
NSW’s tourism economy is hurting
NSW is heavily reliant on tourism and even though it’s unlikely to see international travellers for some time, allowing more domestic holiday-makers would help struggling accommodation, food and entertainment businesses.
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