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Investigating Australia ’ s history of domestic border control to inform our response to COVID-19 and future pandemics
The problem
The closure of Australian state and territory borders in response to COVID-19 cases provoked debates around public health priorities versus individual liberties . State and territory border and quarantine restrictions also raised questions around federal versus state powers and how we balance law and government , private freedoms and public benefits .
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Temporary border inspection control on the MacIntyre Bridge , Goondiwindi , QLD , 1919 . Image : State Library of Queensland , 181916 .
Our solution
Analysing Australia ’ s history of internal border closures for infectious disease management provides valuable insights that help us better understand our COVID-19 response , says Scientia Professor Alison Bashford from UNSW ’ s School of Humanities & Languages .
Alison Bashford is an ARC Laureate Fellow in History and the Director of the Laureate Centre for History & Population . Her research draws together the history of science and medicine , global history and environmental history to analyse the modern world . She is recognised internationally for her contributions to population debates , eugenics , infectious disease control and quarantine research , and the global histories of geosciences .