It's the only border in Australia that has remained open throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
But as Victoria's daily new coronavirus infections continue to spike, there are now calls to restrict NSW border crossings, most recently from the latter state's Deputy Premier, John Barilaro.
While most states and territories around the country have shut their borders, doing the same between Australia's two most populous jurisdictions would be much more difficult.
Here's why it's unlikely to happen.
Different borders, different issues
When WA closed its borders on April 6, it essentially had to close five roads between itself and the rest of the country, only two of which were sealed.
But Victoria and NSW share at least 50 crossings of various sizes, meaning shutting them would be a logistical nightmare.
Australia's two most populous states also have a high number of border cities and towns that would be significantly impacted by any closures.
The deputy chair of Rural Councils Victoria, Jenny O'Connor, said closing the border between Victoria and NSW would have a "devastating" impact on communities already economically "smashed" by bushfires and COVID-19 restrictions.
"The idea of border closures really does sound very drastic and very concerning for those of us that live on the border region where there is no COVID-19 at the moment," said Ms O'Connor, who is also Mayor of Indigo Shire Council in north-eastern Victoria.
"Until there's a vaccine, we're going to have to live with this virus and our communities will be catastrophically impacted if we don't get some capacity to continue to trade and have some economic recovery."
Ms O'Connor said at the main border crossing between Albury in NSW and Wodonga in Victoria, many people lived on one side and worked on the other.
Children also travelled interstate for school and some siblings learned in different states, she said.
"Border towns live and work together and move in and out of each other the whole time … it would be such a difficult thing to manage from from both sides of the border," she said.
What is the official health advice?
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has repeatedly stated she does not agree with state border closures, but yesterday she did warn people not to go to Victoria.
"Nobody from NSW should be travelling to those hotspots at this present time and people should consider whether they should be travelling to Melbourne at this point in time whilst community transmission is where it is," she said.
Health authorities in the state have backed that stance, and said anyone in NSW eyeing off a trip should "reconsider their need to travel".
There have been more than 100 new coronavirus infections in Victoria over the past week — including 25 on Saturday — many of which have been locally acquired.
Most of the new cases have been confined to several Melbourne "hot spots" in the local council areas of Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin.
"In line with the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), NSW Health strongly discourages travel to and from areas of Victoria with COVID-19 outbreaks until control of community transmission has been confirmed," NSW Health said in a statement.
Victorians told to stay away
Last year, NSW welcomed more than 4.7 million overnight visitors from Victoria, while earlier in the pandemic, Ms Berejiklian had encouraged people from other states to book a holiday in her state.
But yesterday, she took a much harder line with her state's southern neighbours.
"Unless you know you're COVID-free, you certainly shouldn't be travelling outside the state of Victoria," she said.
"You should not be travelling to those hotspots at all, and anyone living in those hotspots … certainly should not to go interstate."
Ski slopes in NSW are also beginning to open, and popular resorts like Thredbo and Perisher are less than two hours drive from the Victorian border.
The NSW Deputy Premier said he was worried about Victorians crossing the border to visit the ski fields and that restrictions could be imposed to "stop travel across the mountains".
Mr Barilaro said Cabinet would discuss whether travel restrictions should be put in place at the border, but said he did not think it would be closed.
"It's more about managing who's coming across the border and what we do on this side," he said.
What's everyone else doing?
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was looking closely at the situation in Victoria but would not be making a decision on her state's border closure before the end of this month.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has defended his state's hard border which he said would remain in place for now.
"Our very low rates of infection and our hard borders have allowed us to open up the economy far more than any other state and I think we are very lucky to be in this position," he said.
The Northern Territory Government is standing by its decision to reopen its borders on July 17, despite Victoria's spike, with the state's Health Minister Natasha Fyles, describing it as "the new normal".
South Australian Health Minister Stephen Wade indicated he would backtrack on plans to open the border with Victoria on July 20.
"We are not going to open our borders to Victoria unless it's safe to do so," he said.
"To have a five-fold increase in community transmission is worrying for Victorians, it's worrying for the whole nation."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA2LTIzL3Nob3VsZC1uc3ctc2h1dC1pdHMtYm9yZGVyLWFzLXZpY3Rvcmlhbi1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1jYXNlcy1zdXJnZS8xMjM3OTIyMtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjM3OTIyMg?oc=5
2020-06-22 19:38:00Z
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