Queensland’s border is expected to reopen to all of regional NSW from November 1 but Sydneysiders will remain on the blacklist, the NSW premier says.

October 30, 2020

Queensland is expected to open its border to all of regional NSW but Sydneysiders will remain on the COVID-19 border blacklist.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is expected to formally announce the new arrangement on Friday after meeting the state’s top doctor.

But NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian pre-empted the news, telling reporters she understood the Sunshine State would continue to block Sydney residents from travelling north.

“I’m disappointed … It’s extremely unfair and lacks logic and common sense to continue to lump NSW with Victoria – our states have taken very different paths,” she said on Friday morning.

The border between the two states closed in August, with Queensland saying it would reopen it on November 1 if NSW has control of virus outbreaks in the community.

That was thrown into jeopardy on Wednesday when the southern state recorded another mysterious virus case with no links to a known cluster.

No new cases of locally-transmitted COVID-19 were diagnosed in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has previously said NSW must achieve 28 days with no community transmission for the border to reopen.

Ms Palaszczuk has repeatedly said she won’t put Queenslanders’ lives at risk by reopening it too early.

“I have to do what I have to do to keep Queenslanders safe,” she said on Thursday while campaigning for re-election on the Gold Coast.

The border has become an election issue with Labor warning voters the Liberal National Party can’t be trusted to make sound decisions to protect the community from the virus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Ms Berejiklian have also waded into the debate, with both repeatedly urging Queensland to open the border sooner than later.

It’s a call echoed by business groups, who say the closed border is stifling trade and crippling profits.

The border with NSW closed on August 8, with access only permitted to frontier residents, essential workers, freight drivers and people granted medical or compassionate exemptions.

A border bubble taking in much of northern NSW remains in place, with residents from communities as far south as Byron Bay allowed to travel in and out of Queensland.