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Aus: NSW premier calls for border openings

The premier of Australia’s state of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, has called for the state to utilise its hotel quarantine capacity to help international students, skilled migrants and specialist workers get to the country.

"Australia is now relying on NSW to prop up the economy," Berejiklian suggested. Photo: Wikimedia

NSW has been been accepting 80% of all returning Australian citizens

Berejiklian indicated she wants some 1,000 people to arrive weekly in order to support business in the state, beginning from January.

“A lot of our universities will have to actually axe jobs… especially regional universities”

“If we can’t bring in international students, universities will have to lose staff, lose jobs,” she said, as she urged more states to “lift their game” to increase the country’s quarantine capacity for both international students and Australian citizens.

“NSW would like to look at things that boost our economy… not just returning Aussies,” she said. “We would like to start that as soon as we can in the new year but obviously that’s up to the federal government to let us do that.”

The prime minister of Australia Scott Morrison recently said that priority would be given to citizens and residents at the country’s border.

“If other states lifted their game and had more returning Aussies, that would allow the economic powerhouse of NSW to bring back students and keep universities employing people,” Berejiklian added.

“A lot of our universities will have to actually axe jobs if we don’t [open borders], especially regional universities, I don’t want to see that happen,” she said.

A leading education think tank recently calculated that the country could lose around 50% of its international student population by mid 2021 if the borders remain closed.

CEO of International Education Association of Australia Phil Honeywood added that the state has been been accepting 80% of all returning Australian citizens.

“Time for other states to do some heavy lifting so international students can return!” he wrote on Twitter.

International students have also started a petition calling for Australia to help its international students return to the country due to the “extreme stress” they have endured since Morrison urged international students to consider returning home if they could not support themselves in the country.

As part of NSW government’s Covid-19 economic recovery, more than $273.6 million to be invested through to June 2024 – $18.2 million of which will go to Study NSW to support the state’s international education sector.

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20 Responses to Aus: NSW premier calls for border openings

  1. Unless a system of quarantine at home with monitoring of electronic devices is made it will be difficult to spend enhanced air tkt charges plus quarantine expenses to bear.Kindly make it practical. Thanks.

  2. Kindly consider nurses who need to attend OSCE examination in the Adelaide. Many nurses are waiting to become a registered nurse in Australia.. Kindly consider us.

  3. I think its time to open borders for migrants..its been months I couldn’t meet my husband but now they should think about human rights

  4. Australia will lose skilled labor to Canada who is attracting millions to boost its economy. Migrants applied since 2018 are still waiting for starting their contribution to Australian economy

  5. Please consider exemption for Year 12 school students whose final year is critical. Continued border closure will force these people who originally intend to study in this country for 4 to 6 more years to shift their educational path from Australia to other countries.

  6. Policy of self quarentien at homes will help the incoming travelers to Australia , if students or visitors otherwise .
    Paying for quarentien is unaffordable .

  7. I don’t think anything will happen soon.

    We have 0 cases in the community. That’s right 0!

    The only way we get COVID is from international travellers.

    November 30 is a trial flight for students, but semester 1 (Feb 2021) will need a vaccine to let large numbers of students from high COVID-affected countries in.

    • Of course the cases will rise. The international students will bring virus with them from the country they will come from. The entire effort to save the people of Australia will go to waste.

  8. We really respect the great decision of the Premier Gladys Berejiklianaid. We are hoping as a great leader, who controlled this covid -19 pandemic in high a stand the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison and a national cabinet, also agree on this, Premier’s decision.
    Australian’s kindly think about international students as well, Due to this pandemic time they are depressed as for nearly 10/11 months (one year). They are paying huge amounts of money, as university fees whilst studying locked up in their rooms in respective countries, restricted to just a laptop in their rooms, which causes them to have a very bad mentality. For all students including Australians students or international students wish is to have onsite university studies.
    So dear Australians, as Asians we know you will are great humans that help one another during hard times. So kindly consider this situation think about it as all are one mother’s children’s. So as giving priority to Australians think about these more depressed international students who are waiting to fly back to Australia awaiting for a new life at least in January / February 2021 try to bring them back to your wonderful country to start their new semester in a better mind set.

  9. There is a large control of covid in australia.
    Now its time to open the borders for international students.
    The future of many students stuck due to border closure.the government need to cover the qurantine facilities early as possible and open bordrs

  10. A home quarantine and navigation system for international students will keep any new COVID-19 cases at bay. So there’s no harm in considering lifting restrictions and allow international students to study on-campus.

  11. Many students are wating for open the border of Australia.They are facing to frustration due to close their study and hang up their future.But now time is coming that may be Australian government allow to the students to come back and start their study again…..Brar.

  12. We cannot run from problems for years rather we should come up with solutions that might be quarantine not a permanent shut down of border.. We all from different states, country’s facing problem of frustration, depression because of this.

  13. Australian Government have to think about international student same lockdown will be continued they will feel very depressed and they trying to change there mind set to some other countrys this will be effect on australia economy.so please read and understand situation provied a more quarintine facilitys ..thank you

  14. Please reconsider opening international border to Papua New Guinea and neighbouring pacific islands with very low covid cases…I have not seen my wife and children for 11 months now.
    Why is Australia depriving human rights??

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