WA Premier wants to keep border controls after the COVID pandemic is over

The WA border rules could remain in place even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

WA premier Mark McGowen told a press conference on Tuesday that he was considering an extension of the state’s “controlled border” in order to slow drug importation.

The Business Council of Australia has called for Australia’s state borders to reopen in line with each phase of the vaccine rollout.

But when asked about the WA border rules today, McGowan said: “I think they [the Business Council of Australia] are wrong.”

“We have the strongest economy in the nation, recovered virtually all of the jobs lost during the pandemic, we avoided a recession.

“We have the strongest business confidence, consumer confidence, retail, hospitality, construction, building industries in the country, the strongest mining industry in the country.

“The reason we could do all of that was because we kept COVID out, our borders did that.”

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Drug use falls

Ask to elaborate on his desire to keep the WA border rules, the premier pointed to the fact that drug use in WA has fallen during the pandemic. 

“We obviously have a significant reduction in meth usage in Western Australia, and part of that … is the border measures.

“The Police Commissioner and I will continue to talk about what can be done to protect the state from the scourge of meth and other drugs. If necessary, we will look at measures we can bring in should we be re-elected.

“If we can work out how we can keep that reduction in drug usage in place within the law, that is something the Commissioner and I will work on if we are re-elected.”

G2G tracking

McGowan said he would not rule out keeping the current G2G border pass system in place so the state could track people who entered WA.

He said border officials already searched travellers for bananas and they should also search for drugs such as meth and cocaine.

“Obviously, if staff are there checking for bananas, tomatoes and avocados, I don’t think it is unreasonable to have other staff there checking for meth, heroin and cocaine,” he said. 

Border rules ‘overreach’

WA opposition leader Zak Kirkup said continuing the WA border controls would be an “immense overreach.”

“The Liberal party fully supports the borders to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this now — suggesting that we are going to go further than that and somehow treat every Australian who might be visiting our state as a potential meth trafficker — I think is an immense overreach,” he said. 

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