The last barrier to travel to Australia fell today.

The Minister for Home Affairs announced over the weekend that from 6 July 2022, travellers to Australia (citizen or non-citizen) are not required to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) prior to entering Australia and therefore do not need to disclose their vaccination status.

Additionally, the need for a travel exemption for those not considered vaccinated has been scrapped. The portal to lodge these applications is no longer operational.

This was brought on by amendments to Australia’s Biosecurity Act following health advice from the Chief Medical Officer. Further reasons include reducing delays in airports and encouraging more visitors to Australia.

Paper-based incoming passenger cards will be implemented until the DPD becomes more “user friendly”.

While it is too early to speculate given how quickly COVID-19 mutates lately, the government will not be keen on restricting movement again as with the initial outbreak.

It is astounding that it has been less than six months since the highly publicised visa cancellation of a well-known tennis player with now no impediment to travel to Australia based on his COVID vaccination status. Perhaps Djokovic’s visa bar will be lifted for the upcoming summer tournament, that is, provided he wants to come to Australia to compete?