New Zealand and Australia commit to trans-Tasman bubble 'as soon as it is safe'

A bubble between the nations could mean no quarantine rules for people travelling between the countries.

New Zealand has pledged to introduce a trans-Tasman COVID-safe travel zone with Australia which would cut out the 14-day quarantine period "as soon as it is safe to do so". 

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Australian PM Scott Morrison said: "We need to be cautious as we progress this initiative".

"Neither country wants to see the virus rebound so it’s essential any such travel zone is safe. Relaxing travel restrictions at an appropriate time will clearly benefit both countries and demonstrates why getting on top of the virus early is the best strategy for economic recovery."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, state premiers and territory chief ministers will also be at the meeting.

"Once we have established effective travel arrangements across the Tasman, we will also explore opportunities to expand the concept to members of our broader Pacific family, enabling travel between Australia, New Zealand and Pacific island countries.

"We will work with interested Pacific countries on parameters and arrangements to manage the risks."

Talking to media, Mr Morrison said he invited Ms Ardern to join the meeting to share New Zealand's Covid-19 experience. 

"I thought that would be of great value to my colleagues so they could swap notes on a whole range of different restrictions and the economic impacts."

Mr Morrison said he and Ms Ardern had discussed the possibility of a trans-Tasman bubble for several weeks. 

"It is still some time away but it is important to flag it, because it is part of the road back.

"It's something that would better sit when we see Australians travel from Melbourne to Cairns. At that time all being equal that we would be able to fly from Melbourne to Auckland or Christchurch."

"It's the obvious place to start."

Earlier today, Ms Ardern spoke about her meeting with Mr Morrison, state premiers and territory chief ministers.

However, as the meeting was still going, Ms Ardern refused to give any more details.

She said the point of the meeting was to "discuss our experiences with Covid-19 and what we can learn from one another and how we might be able to work together as we recover from the pandemic".

"We both stand to benefit from getting up and running again."

Ms Ardern said the case for increasing the economic relationship between the two countries "was clear".

Last night on TVNZ1's Q+A with Jack Tame, deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said there was aspects that meant a trans-Tasman bubble under Level 2 was "surely possible".

He gave the example of bringing Australians to New Zealand to use the ski fields, while "managed in very close circumstances".

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