AFR: International travel may return this month 10 September -...

AFR: International travel may return this month 10 September - On the home stretch.

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Australia’sinternational border could be reopened within weeks, if not days, once NSWfast-tracks its home quarantine system, said Prime Minister Scott Morrison ashe welcomed Victoria’s decision to allowcrowds at the Melbourne Cup and Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Noting that if NSW and the ACT were countries their vaccination rates would rank them in the OECD’s top 10, with Victoria not far behind, Mr Morrison declared Australia was “well and truly” winning the “battle of our generation”

“Ourfirst dose vaccination rate is indeed higher than in Germany and the UnitedStates,” he said, and higher than when Britain reached “Freedom Day” on July19.

“Freedoms for those in states that have been subject to lockdowns arevery close, and all of those have been earned and hard won by those who wentout, rolled up their sleeves and got their jab,” Mr Morrison said in a Facebookvideo post late on Sunday.

Speaking on the eve of NSW’s heavily anticipated partial reopening onMonday after more than 15 weeks of lockdown, Premier Dominic Perrottet said heplans to reopen international borders “as quickly” and “as safely” as possible,while NSW Liberals deputy leader Stuart Ayres described hotel quarantine as“fast becoming redundant”.

“Wecan’t live here as I’ve said before as a hermit kingdom on the other side ofthe world,” Mr Perrottet said. “We need to rejoin it, and if people are doublevaccinated, it makes complete sense for them to return to Australia in bettersettings than being cramped up in a hotel for two weeks.”

Earlier, he flagged that he had spoken to the Prime Minister about how,subject to a seven-day trial of home quarantine, it made “little sense” for international borders to remain closed.

In a video message posted on Facebook late on Sunday afternoon, Mr Morrisonfirmly backed the NSW government’s approach, saying the Commonwealth would move “sooner” to help facilitate the opening of the international border into NSW.

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“That would mean home quarantine for vaccinated Australians wishing toreturn home via Sydney and giving the option for international travel forvaccinated Australians to leave and return.”

More than 236,000 vaccines were administered nationally in the latest24-hour period, taking the proportion of people aged over 16 with one dose to82.2 per cent. Some 61.9 per cent have received a second dose.

The ACT has hit over 95 per cent first dose and 72.8 per cent fullyvaccinated, as of Sunday afternoon, with NSW not far behind. Victoria stands on85.5 per cent with one dose and 58.6 per cent fully jabbed. Tasmania also justcleared the 80 per cent mark for first doses, while Western Australia andQueensland are nearing the 70 per cent mark.

“Every state is starting at a different point, but we all want the sameending – to bring our country together again, and join the rest of the world,”Mr Morrison said.

“For locked-down states it’s about winning freedoms back, for othersit’s about protecting the freedoms you’ve been fortunate to enjoy through thesafe measures that have been taken.”

“But for everyone it is about getting back to living our lives as weonce knew them, as best as we can.”