Another New South Wales minister has made a trip between his residence and another property he owns almost two hours away despite having led the public calls for residents to stay put and not travel to the regions.
The NSW deputy premier, John Barilaro, revealed in a press conference this week, perhaps inadvertently, that he had travelled from his home in the suburbs of Queanbeyan/Canberra to his farm nearly two hours away to contemplate his future before deciding not run for the federal seat of Eden-Monaro.
“It was a decision I made on the weekend,” he told the media on Monday. “I had the opportunity at the weekend down on the farm to build a cubby house with my four-year-old. I had the opportunity to be fun and silly,” he said as he explained his decision.
The NSW arts minister, Don Harwin resigned last month after having been identified as travelling between his Central Coast beach house and his Sydney residence earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic. He was fined $1,000 for breaching the lockdown laws.
The premier, Gladys Berejiklian, declined to comment and Barilaro said he was well within the rules.
The “farm” is in fact Dungowan Estate, near Nerriga in south-east NSW, 125km from Canberra, which the Barilaros rent as a luxury getaway on Stayz for an average $1,850 a night.
The website describes it as “the ultimate vacation home” and “a luxury escape in the New South Wales countryside” which is “French provincial in style”. It has seven bedrooms, sleeps 20 and has a boathouse on a small lake.
It sits on “a 233-acre estate”, which might make it a farm.
“There is a mixture of landscapes from pine forests to open grassed areas, river banks and perfect spaces to enjoy the fresh country air,” the website says.
Barilaro has led the government’s calls for city people to stay out of the regions during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“My message today is simple, now is not the time to travel from metropolitan areas to regional NSW for a holiday, for meetings, or even to relocate yourselves for a longer period – the safest thing you can do right now is stay in your community,” Barilaro said on 31 March.
In the Sydney Morning Herald he was quoted as saying people should not travel to the regions for the rest of the year.
“If you live in the regions, you must make the tough call to tell any friends and family in the city you’ll see them at Christmas, no sooner,” Barilaro said.
“Our regional communities do value the economic stimulus brought about by tourism dollars, however the message could not be clearer, now is the time to stay away.”
Asked about his travel, Barilaro said: “There is no public health order in place in NSW that precludes someone from travelling to their farm to tend to it.”
He said that after Friday 1 May in NSW two adults (and any dependent children) can visit another household. He made the trip after this date.
He also pointed to the legitimate reasons for travel under the NSW government’s public health order.
These include: “Moving to a new place of residence (including a business moving to new premises) or between different places of residence of the person or inspecting a potential new place of residence.”
Harwin also initially argued he fell within this exemption but resigned after the public furore and a campaign by the Daily Telegraph.
