PM Scott Morrison expects Australia’s borders will reopen to visa holders by Christmas

“We’re just taking some final bits of information.”

He urged premiers and chief ministers not to shut their borders as Omicron cases continued to rise.

Mr Morrison cited as positive signs South Australia’s decision to tighten border controls for some interstate arrivals instead of shutting them out altogether, and Queensland’s move to reopen to people from hotspot areas on Monday.

“The severity of this (Omicron) virus is so far not presenting to be worse than what happened with Delta,” the prime minister said.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly advised national cabinet it was still early days for Australia’s understanding of the Omicron variant.

Leaders agreed to continue considering international border settings consistent with a suppression strategy and as more evidence emerged about Omicron’s severity, transmissibility and the efficacy of vaccines against it.