Grab your sunnies and zinc sticks, because we finally have some good fucking news: Aussies could be able to travel to Fiji, Tonga and other exciting international destinations under a new plan to include the Pacific Islands in the trans-Tasman bubble.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison landed in Aotearoa on Sunday for his annual meeting with New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern to discuss everything from covid-19 cases, to relations with China, to the trans-Tasman bubble – and, pacifically, to potentially extend the trans-Tasman bubble to include the Pacific Islands.
Trust Scott Morrison to have an international meeting scheduled while his people are under lockdown, but I guess that’s not the first time he’s left the country in a crisis.
The news is obviously very welcome for Aussies who are desperate to get out of here and actually go on a holiday for the first time in forever, but it’s also great news for the Pacific Islands which rely on tourism for their economy.
“We are supporting our Pacific family and the idea of a bubble that goes beyond New Zealand and Australia is a real possibility,” Scott Morrison told reporters.
It’s interesting that suddenly the Pacific Islands are our family when we want a holiday, but not when they are facing a climate crisis – but I’ll take what I can get, and I’m glad we’re making a positive move in potentially including them in our bubble.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told Sunrise on Monday that he was “excited” at the prospect of more international travel and “optimistic” that it’ll actually happen.
“We have the aircraft and we have the people,” he said.
“The more bubbles the better, because we can activate more aircraft, get more people back to work and help the tourism industries in the countries that are very dependent on tourism.”
Obviously this development doesn’t mean we can go galavanting all over the globe, especially considering the rise of cases in Melbourne and Victoria’s lockdown – but it’s a nice glimmer of hope for everyone stuck at home, hoping things will be okay soon.
