The Feds have seen the effects of the ‘we kept you safe’ narrative that has benefited governments in NZ, NT, QLD, WA and Tas, and they know it holds power with a fearful populace. After the disastrous response to the acts of sexual deviance and culture in parliament, and after a less than stellar vaccine rollout, the Libs will not risk any more electoral damage until next year’s Federal election is done and dusted. Maybe talk of a travel bubble here and there to keep folks like us hopeful, but no real action unless the risk is practically nil...
However...
Make no mistake they are itching for international travel to return. No, they actually desperately NEED it to. It’s budget week next week and you can bet Treasury forecasts don’t add up unless immigration is juiced back to 200000 plus Net per year; oh, and let’s face it, the big business donors will be demanding the flow of warm bodies, erm sorry, ‘skilled labor’, to put a lid back on that nasty wage growth, and the shocking requirements of having to spend a realistic amount of time and money to train locals for jobs, both of which is just simply unacceptable to them.
International travel will return with a vengeance just as soon as vaccination numbers and electoral realities allow for it.