Australia's Tourism Minister Dan Tehan recently revealed that the country is on track to reopen for tourism over the holidays.

During a talk organized by the National Press Club in Australia, Tehan said that he empathizes with Australians who have not had the opportunity to travel overseas due to the pandemic.

He added that he's confident Australians will finally be able to head to their dream destination as long as they are fully vaccinated.

"It's another reason why everyone should get vaccinated and we have to stick to the national plan that will see our international border open up -- at this rate by Christmas at the latest," he said via CNN.

As of writing, the national vaccination rate in Australia is estimated at 38 percent. Tehan said that for the borders to reopen, the vaccination rate should be at around 80 percent.

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Australia has been pushing for COVID-19 vaccinations for months

Last month, the Australian tourism board launched a campaign called "It's Our Best Shot for Travel" to encourage those that have not been vaccinated to get the jab.

Phillipa Harrison, the managing editor of Tourism Australia, explained their motivation behind the video after the campaign's release.

"We need to claim back our way of life so that we can visit friends and relatives, get back into the workplace, get our kids back to school, travel domestically and internationally again, and welcome the world back to enjoy all that Australia has to offer," she said via CNN.

International visitors will also be allowed entry into Australia

The reopening of the international border won't only benefit Australians that want to travel abroad. The country is also eyeing the reopening to allow visitors to enter the country.

However, international visitors need to verify that they are fully vaccinated before they can set foot in Australia.

Australia will also test out vaccine passports with other countries like Japan, United States, and Singapore.

"What we've seen so far and all the reports back, is that the QR code system - which has obviously been modelled on the international aviation organization's model of what they think is needed in a QR code - seems to be interoperable with most of the countries that we've been dealing with," Tehan said in The Australian.

This way, Australians will be able to travel with a QR code linked to their passport.

Australia reports thousands of new COVID-19 cases

Australis is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, at least 1063 new cases and six deaths have been recorded in NSW. 

More than 92 people were arrested for holding protests in Melbourne after the Andrews government said they would require those in the construction sector to get vaccinated.

A spokesperson said that the arrests were made after the 92 protesters failed to follow the Chief Health Officer's directive to stay home and avoid coming into the city without a lawful purpose.

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