New Zealand Travel Bubble Announcement

[DC3]

I suspect that this bubble will last about as long as any other soap bubble.

And not even a proper soap bubble at that.

 

[dajop]

People have obviously been sold a "bubble", which it is not. this from an ill-informed person who commented on the Age, and got 83 "respects' (likes) :

.... the far bigger issue is what the NZ government will be thinking. They signed up to a bubble that allowed people to travel to NSW and NT. I don't think they will be too happy about not knowing if people coming back to NZ have been to a place with Stage 4 restrictions and mystery virus cases. This sort of shoddy process from the Feds could put the whole scheme in jeopardy.

Commenter has no idea that NZ don't care where people have come back from, they still require 2 weeks quarantine, whether it is from Victoria, NSW, India or France...

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Just on Visa's.

Is it not the case that they can be issued with conditions.

ie
Just on Visas

You must continue to live at the address you specified before we granted you the visa.

In which case addresses could have been limited to locations in NSW or NT.

Plus a specific condition could have been written to limit travel within NSW and NT.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Just on Visa's.

Is it not the case that they can be issued with conditions.

ie
Just on Visas

You must continue to live at the address you specified before we granted you the visa.

In which case addresses could have been limited to locations in NSW or NT.

Plus a specific condition could have been written to limit travel within NSW and NT.

I’m guessing SA and ACT won’t mind the travelers from NZ (despite SA not being a ‘signatory’)....then in about a month’s time (when they allow NSW) Tas won’t mind either.

The States are behaving based on the risk aversion. Qld and WA clearly have a zero risk policy (28 days of mystery cases), Tas haven’t specified but are willing to quarantine on arrival.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I’m guessing SA and ACT won’t mind the travelers from NZ (despite SA not being a ‘signatory’)....then in about a month’s time (when they allow NSW) Tas won’t mind either

In which case you update the conditions that need to be appropriate when the Visa is issued.

Vic Premier has reconfirmed that with the current conditions that NZ arrivals are allowed into Victoria. But also they want to brief them.

 

[antycbr]

In which case you update the conditions that need to be appropriate when the Visa is issued.

Vic Premier has reconfirmed that with the current conditions that NZ arrivals are allowed into Victoria. But also they want to brief them.

I hardly think the Feds are going to impose conditions on SCV444 visas when they disagree with domestic border restrictions.

So why don't they brief ALL arriving travellers? Someone in the back blocks of Queensland who doesn't follow media won't be up on the seemingly 780 pages of regulations issued every week by the Premier of Victoria.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I hardly think the Feds are going to impose conditions on SCV444 visas when they disagree with domestic border restrictions.

I agree. But I have just made the point as multiple State Premiers said no to being included in the bubble when asked and a number of people on this forum and in the media have indicated that the Premiers should have known that with NSW and NT saying Yes that that was actually a Yes for all states and territories.

Whereas No, could have actually really meant No, as the Federal Government could have issued Visa's to limit travel to the regions that said Yes.

Other question not being asked to the Feds is why did they not act on the answers received to their question?
Why is there no media heat on this?

PS. As I have noted before I personally do not have an issue with NZ arriving in Vic.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I agree. But I have just made the point as multiple State Premiers said no to being included in the bubble when asked and a number of people on this forum and in the media have indicated that the Premiers should have known that with NSW and NT saying Yes that that was actually a Yes for all states and territories.

Whereas No, could have actually really meant No, as the Federal Government could have issued Visa's to limit travel to the regions that said Yes.

Other question not being asked to the Feds is why did they not act on the answers received to their question?
Why is there no media heat on this?

PS. As I have noted before I personally do not have an issue with NZ arriving in Vic.

Can visa conditions be updated mid stream - eg say Tas agree in December - does an arrival in October get the December update or only the October version? Also even if update possible, it would be a nightmare for enforcement by Immigration (if they chose to I guess).

 

[jase05]

I’m guessing SA and ACT won’t mind the travelers from NZ (despite SA not being a ‘signatory’)....then in about a month’s time (when they allow NSW) Tas won’t mind either.

The States are behaving based on the risk aversion. Qld and WA clearly have a zero risk policy (28 days of mystery cases), Tas haven’t specified but are willing to quarantine on arrival.

5 have arrived in SA in the last 24hrs. All were flagged at the airport and taken to mandatory hotel quarantine

 

[blackcat20]

PS. As I have noted before I personally do not have an issue with NZ arriving in Vic.

What I'm getting from all the people I'm hearing from is they have no issues with the kiwis themselves, the issue is that the Fed government offered a bubble, we said no, and yet here we are.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

5 have arrived in SA in the last 24hrs. All were flagged at the airport and taken to mandatory hotel quarantine

Interesting.

My perspective of the public position was that SA wanted to be next cab off the rank. Perhaps some underlying issue not publicised because requiring mandatory quarantine of NZ travellers seems a bit inconsistent with wanting to be next to accept the same traveller quarantine-free.

 

[jakeseven7]

What I'm getting from all the people I'm hearing from is they have no issues with the kiwis themselves, the issue is that the Fed government offered a bubble, we said no, and yet here we are.

Maybe its a way for the Federal government to force the states hands on the agreement...... surely they aren't that smart/dumb

 

[TheRealTMA]

While there should not be an issue with those from NZ, surely it's a failure of the acting-immigration minister? (BTW: Why do we still haver an acting minister when the official one took leave back in August last year, presumably of full pay?)

Surely it would not have been difficult for them to set the visa conditions that they could only go to the "official" bubble states who formally had agreed?

Too much inconsiderate harassment of state premiers for political reasons. IMHO.

Can Australians overseas fly to NZ and stay for a week or so then enter the bubble to get back to Australia without quarantine?

 

[dajop]

Can Australians overseas fly to NZ and stay for a week or so then enter the bubble to get back to Australia without quarantine?

Putting aside any restrictions that NZ has (IIRC they are not allowing non-citizens who are not residents to travel to NZ), the Australian government requires that anyone entering Australia has "... been in New Zealand for 14 days or more and not been in a designated hotspot, and" .." are travelling to Australia on a quarantine-free flight".

So the answer is no, as even if NZ allowed entry, they would have to quarantine there for at least 14 days ...

 

[TheRealTMA]

Putting aside any restrictions that NZ has (IIRC they are not allowing non-citizens who are not residents to travel to NZ), the Australian government requires that anyone entering Australia has "... been in New Zealand for 14 days or more and not been in a designated hotspot, and" .." are travelling to Australia on a quarantine-free flight".

So the answer is no, as even if NZ allowed entry, they would have to quarantine there for at least 14 days ...

A two week holiday in NZ would be better than two weeks stuck in a single room in quarantine hotel in Australia!

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Putting aside any restrictions that NZ has (IIRC they are not allowing non-citizens who are not residents to travel to NZ), the Australian government requires that anyone entering Australia has "... been in New Zealand for 14 days or more and not been in a designated hotspot, and" .." are travelling to Australia on a quarantine-free flight".

So the answer is no, as even if NZ allowed entry, they would have to quarantine there for at least 14 days ...

Having briefly looked at some NZ government websites, it’s a bit murky whether they do or don’t allow non-citizens to transit Auckland and whether they need to quarantine or not.

 

[dajop]

A two week holiday in NZ would be better than two weeks stuck in a single room in quarantine hotel in Australia!

It's not a two week holiday in NZ, it's two weeks in a quarantine hotel in NZ instead, at a similar cost to Australian hotel quarantine! Managed isolation and quarantine | Managed isolation and quarantine

Having briefly looked at some NZ government websites, it’s a bit murky whether they do or don’t allow non-citizens to transit Auckland and whether they need to quarantine or not.

Irrelevant, 14 days in NZ is not transit, and these are dedicated flights that do not mix with transit passengers, so you have enter NZ. And you can't unless you meet NZ's criteria:

Travel to New Zealand
New Zealand citizens and residents, Australian citizens normally resident in New Zealand and others with a critical purpose approved by Immigration New Zealand may travel here.

And:

As a transit passenger you can only travel through Auckland International Airport where you must stay in the transit area of the airport or on board your craft. You must normally spend less than 24 hours in transit in New Zealand, but this may change at short notice due to COVID-19 Alert Levels.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Having briefly looked at some NZ government websites, it’s a bit murky whether they do or don’t allow non-citizens to transit Auckland and whether they need to quarantine or not.

Yes I looked before I committed the original post. It is far from clear if one selects holiday and not transit. If one goes through the links, it does seem possible, but...

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Irrelevant, 14 days in NZ is not transit, and these are dedicated flights that do not mix with transit passengers, so you have enter NZ. And you can't unless you meet NZ's criteria:
And:

I understand your point, and I hope we don’t have a situation of say a traveller from US transiting Auckland (ie within 12/24 hours without quarantine in NZ) being allowed on these so called quarantine-free flights

 

[Princess Fiona]

A two week holiday in NZ would be better than two weeks stuck in a single room in quarantine hotel in Australia!

Presuming you could enter NZ, you’d still be spending 2 weeks in a quarantine hotel.
I don’t think the accommodation they have is any more salubrious than ours.