NSW-Victoria Border zone must be expanded urgently to prevent chaos

Murray MP Helen Dalton is urging the NSW Government to expand the area within Victoria that NSW residents can travel for essential purposes.

“I’m being bombarded with constituents whose daily lives are being destroyed,” Mrs Dalton said

“The NSW premier does not realise how dependent NSW country towns are on Victorian services,”

“The border closure has caused chaos. It’s split up families, savaged businesses, and left people needing vital medical treatment in limbo”.  

From midnight Tuesday, the NSW Government will establish a new border zone. Those who need to travel beyond the zone will have to isolate for 14 days when they return home, even if they are travelling for an essential reason.

“I understand Shepparton will be outside this zone,” Mrs Dalton said

“But we have NSW residents who go there for regular cancer treatment. How are they supposed to isolate for 14 days if they have daily or weekly appointments?”

“There’s also no real process for employees who travel across the border for work,”

“These are some of many scenarios the NSW Government did not consider,”

“The NSW Government have downgraded health services in NSW towns to such an extent, we need to sponge off Victoria,”

“Now, the residents have been left high and dry,”

Mrs Dalton says she supports border restrictions, but says the border zone must be urgently expanded.

“Given the low number of cases in regional towns, there’s no need to disrupt so many lives. I think the border zone should be expanded from Griffith in NSW to Bendigo in Victoria. Travel should be allowed for towns within that zone for essential reasons”.