Travel restrictions to lift from Queensland remote communities including Cape York and the Torres Strait

Federal legislation that has kept some Queensland families separated for months and Indigenous communities "cramped down like cattle dogs" during the coronavirus pandemic will be lifted at midnight. Key points: Federal biosecurity laws will be lifted from Queensland's remote Indigenous communities from midnight on June 12 Federal biosecurity laws will be lifted from Queensland's remote Indigenous communities from midnight on June 12 Blanket travel restrictions will be replaced with new sets of rules specific to each area, which can be changed by the state's Chief Health Officer Blanket travel restrictions will be replaced with new sets of rules specific to each area, which can be changed by the state's Chief Health Officer Some communities want to allow tourists into the region while others wish to remain off-limits to outsiders Health Minister Greg Hunt has approved a request to exempt Queensland from biosecurity laws that restrict travel to designated zones identified as particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. The decision has been welcomed by business owners and local leaders across the state's affected communities, which include Palm Island, Yarrabah, Cape York and the Torres Strait. Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Craig Crawford, said "chief health officer directives" were being finalised in consultation with each community. Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation executive director, Gerhard Pearson, said he was concerned about pressure from tourism lobby groups to allow travel into vulnerable communities.