Outbreak not halting Australian PM’s visit

While a new Covid-19 outbreak may cast a shadow on proceedings, it has failed to stop the Australian Prime Minister’s whirlwind Queenstown trip.

• Southern say:  Outbreak not halting Aussie PM's visit 

Questions had been raised about Scott Morrison’s visit after an outbreak of Covid-19 in Melbourne, which led to a seven-day lockdown and a pause in travel to New Zealand.

Mr Morrison had visited Melbourne on May 20.

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s office yesterday confirmed the transtasman visit would be going ahead.

That came as a relief for Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult.

‘‘We’ve been looking forward to this for quite some time,’’ he said.

‘‘Having the two prime ministers here is a great opportunity for us to showcase the district.’’

Australian tourists were one of the resort’s most important markets, and he wanted to impress that upon Mr Morrison.

He said he trusted health officials to make the right call in allowing Mr Morrison and his team to fly to New Zealand.

University of Otago epidemiologist Prof Michael Baker said the risk of Mr Morrison and his delegation spreading the virus was low, particularly with measures such as pre-departure testing.

The decision was likely to have been more political than health-based, he said.

While the outbreak did not cause the annual trip to be cancelled, it disrupted plans.

Both prime ministers were scheduled to attend the Highlanders v Melbourne Rebels game on Sunday afternoon in Queenstown, but the match had to be moved to Sydney after it became obvious the Rebels would not be able to travel.

While Covid has dominated the lead-up to the visit, other issues were also likely to be discussed during the annual talks between the two prime ministers.

Among them were expected to be the continued deportation of 501s to New Zealand, and relations with China.

daisy.hudson@odt.co.nz