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Regional NSW will be plunged into confusion, causing unnecessary anxiety for communities already under strain, if changes are not urgently made to the NSW Government’s roadmap to recovery, according to the bipartisan Cross Border Taskforce.
The taskforce sent a letter to newly-appointed NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Deputy Premier Paul Toole today calling for a delay to double vaccination requirements until the end of October in regional areas.
Taskforce spokesperson, Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry, said while the group was thankful to the NSW Government for amending its requirement for double vaccination for staff in the regions – where a lack of supply meant many thousands of people were still waiting to receive their first or second shots – the same was needed for patrons in the wider community.
Under the NSW Government’s amendment announced on 3 October, staff working in regional local government areas now only have to provide proof of one vaccine dose and a booking for a second dose to continue to work. However, patrons attending venues and non-essential retail outlets are still required to be double vaccinated by Monday.
“Just like staff in our region have been unable to access vaccines due to a lack of supply, the same applies to patrons and customers in the wider community,” Cr Cherry said.
“It is for this same reason the taskforce believes we need to delay the restrictions planned to be imposed on October 11. We need a separate roadmap to recovery for the regions, particularly border communities grappling to understand the ever-changing rules of multiple jurisdictions.”
The letter to the Premier followed a meeting of the taskforce on Tuesday, attended by Members from both the NSW and Queensland Parliaments, including Ballina MP Tamara Smith (Greens), NSW MLC Catherine Cusack (Liberal), Burleigh MP Michael Hart (QLD Liberal National Party) and Cr Cherry (independent). Tweed MP Geoff Provest (Nationals), Lismore MP Janelle Saffin (Labor) and Currumbin MP Laura Gerber (QLD Liberal National Party) were apologies for the meeting. NSW Cross Border Commissioner James McTavish was also in attendance.
The taskforce was particularly concerned about the looming 11 October milestone, when the first stage of the roadmap to recovery will kick in across NSW after the state achieves its 70% double vaccination target.
Cr Cherry said messaging around the impending changes and their impacts on communities in regions such as the Tweed, Byron, Ballina and Lismore LGAs remained unclear, with these communities not expected to hit the 70% target until some weeks later.
“Very few people understand that from Monday (11 October), when the first stage of the recovery plan comes into place, communities such as ours who have fortunately experienced few restrictions to date, could very well experience a loss of freedoms,” Cr Cherry said.
“For example, Tweed Shire Council’s indoor swimming pools which are currently open, will be forced to close. So our community will effectively be going backwards – how do we explain that to our residents?
“All of the messaging around the reopening of NSW is completely Sydney-centric and while we understand the reason for this, it doesn’t make sense for regional communities who have not been in lockdown for extended periods of time.
“To prevent any additional chaos and confusion for our businesses and residents, we are calling on the NSW Government to draw up a separate roadmap for regional NSW, which only kicks in at the 80% double vaccination milestone in late October.
“Under the current plan, much of the freedoms for double vaccinated people at the 70% mark touted by the roadmap are already enjoyed in regional areas – whether they are vaccinated or not.
“It is going to be incredibly difficult for our businesses to enforce these rules and will only serve to heighten anxiety at a time when many regions are facing the very real likelihood of their first COVID-19 outbreak.”
