Australia to have vaccine passport system ready within weeks for international travel

The Morrison government will have a system in place within weeks to support the resumption of international travel as vaccination rates rise, the trade minister, Dan Tehan, says. With senior federal ministers meeting on Wednesday to continue work around vaccine passports, Tehan told reporters the resumption of international travel would require “a system that can enable recognition of vaccination – a vaccination certification scheme”. “We’re in the process of planning that so that in the coming weeks we will have a system up and ready so when we hit that 70% or 80% vaccination mark Australians will be able to travel overseas again and also Australians will be able to return home in greater numbers,” Tehan told reporters in Canberra. “We’ll also be able to start welcoming international students, those who want to come here to work, ultimately tourists again.” The four-phase plan for reopening Australia unveiled by Scott Morrison at the end of July suggests vaccinated Australians would be able to head overseas again more freely when at least 80% of the over-16 population had been fully vaccinated. Under “Phase C” of the plan, governments would abolish caps on vaccinated Australians returning from overseas, and lift all restrictions on outbound travel for vaccinated Australians. The triggers are linked to vaccination rates rather than a fixed date, although the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has been signalling international travel will probably resume in the state in time for Christmas. Tehan said the government was working to develop a QR code with the International Civil Aviation Organisation so the vaccine certificates would be internationally recognised.