WA Border: Scott Morrison Says Clive Palmer Will Win Court Case

Mr Morrison said he had warned WA and other States of the consequences of hard border closures. 

“I warned the States and Territories that if they make arbitrary positions on borders that they are likely to find themselves in this situation, that someone is likely to bring a case and this may well a constitutional position and that would not be to their advantage,” he said in Canberra today. 

Mr Morrison said it was not Mr Palmer personally the Federal Government supported, but the constitutional challenge that needed to be raised against the WA Government. 

“We are not supporting Clive Palmer,” he said.

“An action has been brought towards the WA border and it goes to quite serious constitutional issues on which the Commonwealth could not be silent about.”

He also predicted the border challenge would “not fall in the Western Australian Government’s favour”.

“My fear is that if an all or nothing approach is taken to the broader question, then that will not serve the people of any State well,” he said.

“The constitutional position is one that provides that fellow Australians can (have) free movement and that should not be prevented. There are much more broader consequences of this case to go beyond specifically the pandemic and that is why the Commonwealth responsibly has to be able to put the responsible constitutional position.”

He said the engagement with the State Government had left something to be desired.

“I’m concerned about the combative way this is unfolded in Western Australia and I would like to find a much more productive way forward,” he said.

More Perth news coverage on SoPerth.com.au.

Feature image: AAP Image/Lukas Coch