ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has fired back over criticisms of the new ACT bubble, saying Canberrans would "dob in" any rule-breaking NSW residents because "that's what people are like".
While border restrictions have begun easing between the ACT and NSW, there has been some confusion, and frustration, over what the changes entail.
From October 15, more regional NSW residents will be able to travel to and from the ACT without applying for an exemption or being subject to stay-at-home requirements, but there have been questions over why some locations were included, but not others.
"[This] was what NSW were prepared to allow. It's their jurisdiction," Mr Barr said.
"We don't control NSW; NSW does. And so that negotiation resulted in the expanded bubble that we have.
"I appreciate it's frustrating for everyone, but this is 99 per cent driven by NSW processes because it's their local government areas."
Canberrans are only allowed to cross the border for certain reasons, although Mr Barr expected NSW would change its restrictions on the ACT once the territory's lockdown lifted on Friday.
"We are led to believe that when we come out of lockdown, [the] complete blanket requirement around the ACT will change, and the first step of that is more freedom of movement within our region," he said.
"It may be that NSW decide to drop that to one of their newsletters, the Australian or the [Australian] Financial Review, overnight and we'll read about it in the morning. We've asked them to tell us in advance. We'll see what happens.
"But I still do not have a date yet and cannot confirm the answer to the two most popular questions: When can I go to Sydney and when can I go to the coast."
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People who are not fully vaccinated in NSW have fewer freedoms.
Mr Barr denied there was a loophole in which an unvaccinated NSW resident could come into the ACT under a false premise, potentially spreading COVID.
"You'd be pretty dumb to drive through and past 50 pubs that you could go to, to come to the pub in Canberra. Why would you do that?" he said.
"That person, that individual, who's so motivated to do that would have driven a long way and gone past a lot of other pubs to come to the ACT."
When asked whether people would enter the ACT because the territory wouldn't check their vaccination status, Mr Barr replied:
"They come into the ACT; they'll get fined. We'll find them. Someone will dob them in, I absolutely guarantee it, that's what people are like."
