Uncertainty lingers for Kimberley businesses as State Govt holds off on border reopening date

Lack of certainty will weigh heavily on the Kimberley’s economy until a date is set to reopen WA to the nation, according to the region’s business sector. WA Premier Mark McGowan on Friday revealed Western Australia would reopen to domestic and international travellers when the State hits a 90 per cent vaccination mile-stone. The Premier did not, however, pencil in a specific date, instead saying it would likely be in January or February next year. In revealing the plan, Mr McGowan said intrastate boundaries may need to be introduced in areas where vaccine uptake was not sufficient to be considered safe to reopen. The Kimberley is, as of November 1, 48.4 per cent double-dose vaccinated, about 15 per cent below the WA average. A further 15 per cent had received their first jab. While vaccinated travellers are expected to be able to travel freely, the large number of people yet to get the jab in the North West, particularly the Pilbara, is a concern. Faraway Bay owner Kathie Reilly said the road map was not a sufficient plan for her remote Kimberley operation which relies heavily on interstate tourists. “We are due to run and open up for wet season tours in February,” she said. “At this stage with no real indication as to when WA will reopen we could have that cancelled again like last year. “It is a huge cost to set up in preparation and we are doing all that with quite a real fear factor that we could do all this and we are not going to open.” Ms Reilly said it would likely not be until January when WA reached 80 per cent double-dose vaccination — the mark set for Mr McGowan to announce a reopening date — which would be too late. Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Peter Taylor said without a date set there was no urgency for people to get the jab and tourists would look elsewhere. “The big issue continues to be uncertainty and rather than provide that certainty unfortunately it appears the Government has only created more,” he said. The Pilbara is the worst-performing region in Australia for vaccine uptake, with about 30 per cent of residents double-dosed. “There is no doubt many businesses in Broome have benefited from the strategy the State Government has put in place to date, but there comes a time when we need to be guided by the successful reopening of other jurisdictions on the east coast. “There needs to be a date set by which those who are not vaccinated have been vaccinated and those who choose not to have to take responsibility for their own decisions.” Currently, about 80 per cent of West Australians aged 12 and above have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 64 per cent are fully vaccinated. The Pilbara is the worst-performing region in Australia for vaccine uptake, with about 30 per cent of residents double-dosed.