Fortress Australia: How long can we stay closed?

Interstate border restrictions are now second nature to us in Western Australia. With announcements of COVID-19 cluster hot spots and sudden slamming shut of state borders, many of us have become wary of short-term travel, lest we find ourselves stuck far from home or in quarantine. Over a third of us in Western Australia were born outside of Australia – feelings of isolation and separation from extended families is mounting and the outlook is uncertain.

In this event, we’ll unpack the steps towards the future of travel and border restrictions: state and international borders, regulation of travel, quarantine and vaccination requirements. What would it take for us to open up again, and what would this new world look like? What are the benefits of open borders – economically, socially, nationally – and what are the potential costs and risks?

Panel line-up:
- Dr Katie Attwell, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences.
- Dr Loretta Baldassar, Professor in the Discipline Group of Anthropology and Sociology and Director of the UWA Social Care and Ageing (SAGE) Living Lab.
- Dr Dirk Baur, Professor of Finance at the UWA Business School.
- Kevin Brown, CEO of Perth Airport.
- Dr Omar Khorshid, President of the Australian Medical Association.
- Phil Payne, CEO of StudyPerth.

This session will be live-streamed and recorded for regional, remote and international communities, as well as those who wish to watch on demand. Please register your interest and we'll send you the Zoom link beforehand, and the YouTube link following the event.