Hannah Dowling

Queensland’s international border restrictions are set to finally fall after 90 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated, however, questions have been raised about when, or even if, Queensland will actually hit the mark.

Dubbed Aviation Training Partners, the consortium is made up of Arcadia Capital, “affiliates of the leadership team” at Bridger Aerospace Group, as well as Bain Capital Credit – notably a subsidiary of Bain Capital, the recent purchaser of Virgin Australia.

It comes after Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan this week reaffirmed his government’s intentions to reopen the state’s iron borders on 5 February, despite growing calls to delay the move.

It comes after Tonga’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano erupted on 15 January, prompting tsunami warnings and evacuation orders of much of the Pacific Islands.

The Poseidon has been sent to conduct an assessment of damage to critical infrastructure, such as roads, ports, and power lines, throughout the Polynesian country, to help determine the next step in the response effort.

The announcement, while welcome, is shrouded in political controversy, after it was found that the Coalition sent out its announcement just 30 minutes before Labor was intending to pledge the same amount to fund the airport’s upgrades.