CONFUSION reigns supreme as residents in the ‘border bubble’ of New South Wales and Victoria are unsure of where they can travel, what they can do, and what will happen next.
Adding to the confusion is that each state has its own rules.
The Victorian border bubble has been in place since the state declared all of NSW a red zone and closed its border to NSW residents on July 11, before changing cross-border communities to orange zones.
The imposition for NSW border residents during last week’s state lockdown was that residents still needed to abide by the Victorian government’s five essential reasons to travel during lockdown.
Prior to Wednesday July 28, NSW Health had also restricted travel from the state into Victoria, imposing stay-at-home orders on any residents from outside the border bubble.
The Guardian spoke with Rod Carroll, a long-term Murray Downs resident about how he has been impacted by these closures.
“What has made the situation worse for NSW cross-border residents is the clear lack of succinct information from anyone,” Mr Carroll said.
“Our border citizens are in ‘no-man’s-land’ – we’re hearing one lot of information from Victoria, and another lot from New South Wales, with the information often not matching up,” he said.
Mr Caroll said there was also often a lag between restrictions being announced and details of rules being released.
“What we need is one set of clearly defined cross-border rules for all Victorian and New South Wales residents living in cross-border communities,” he said.
“As it is, no one knows what they can and can’t do.
“Even the well-intentioned Victoria Police officers stationed at the border are confused.”
The border bubble prior to Tuesday’s July 27 announcement that Victoria was out of lockdown was defined by the state government as extending from Bendigo to Wagga Wagga.
However from Wednesday July 28, Wagga Wagga and three other local government areas – Lockhart, Hay and Murrumbidgee – have since been taken out of the bubble arrangement by the Victorian government.
In the NSW version of the border bubble, it stops a few kilometres outside of Yerong Creek and Benalla.
Another case further highlighting the inconsistencies between what is and isn’t in the bubble relates to the cross border status of the Greater City of Bendigo.
The Victorian website clearly indicates that Bendigo is in the cross-border region – while the NSW website indicates that Bendigo is out of the cross-border region.
While these discrepancies have existed for some time during the Covid crisis, they have become more pertinent now that both states have simultaneous border restrictions in place.
NSW cross-border commissioner James McTavish recently told The Border Mail that the NSW system is locality based, Victorian definition is based on local government areas.
Both he and his Victorian counterpart, Luke Wilson, want to see a single border bubble definition accepted by both states.
“[We] are acutely aware of the issues that this raises, particularly around people having a better understanding of what arrangements apply to them,” Mr McTavish said.
“We’re keen to see alignments between NSW and Victoria, but those decisions are really contingent on the decision makers in either NSW or Victorian health agencies.”
The Guardian have contacted both the Victorian and NSW Department of Health and are awaiting a response.
Victorian Cross Border Commissioner Luke Wilson was also contacted for comment, with his advisor referring the paper back to the Victorian Department of Health.
The NSW Cross Border Commissioner, James McTavish, is currently willing to speak to The Guardian.
We will endeavor to report on these developments next week.
Selected cross border questions to be addressed:
Q: Where exactly can I travel to, as a NSW border resident, in Victoria and New South Wales?
Q: Where can a NSW border resident currently shop in Victoria?
Q: How many visitors can a NSW border resident have in their homes, given no home visitors are currently allowed in Victoria?
Q: Can a cross-border resident in Victoria legally visit a NSW cross-border home?
Q: Where can a NSW border resident play sport in Victoria?
Q: Is there currently a travel limit in Victoria for NSW border residents?
Q: What are the clear mask rules in each state?
Q: Does a NSW border resident currently need a permit to enter Victoria?
Q: Does the current border bubble effectively make NSW border communities Victorian?
Q: If so, why is it that non-lockdown rules applied to NSW border residents when Victoria was in full lockdown?
Q: What are the QR code entry rules in both states, and if I don’t have a smart phone, are businesses obligated to have a sign in book?
Q: What if I don’t have access to the internet and cannot log on to the Victorian or NSW websites?
Q: If I cannot log on to the NSW or Victorian websites, is there a phone number I could call?
Q: Is there a clearly defined list of essential businesses in Victoria and New South Wales?
