Defence Minister Peter Dutton has shut down the idea of Australia pausing all international arrivals, saying it would be harmful to the nation.

Mr Dutton told Ray Hadley the federal government has aimed to curtail the local spread of the virus while fighting for Australia’s trade industry and citizens’ compassionate concerns.

“The reality is that Australians have got family members overseas … We’ve got business to conduct or people don’t get employed,” he said.

“We produce more here in Australia in the agricultural sector – many, many items more – than what we are able to consume, so people have got to be negotiating those deals overseas.

“People want to go and see their grandkids, they want to see a dying relative, we’ve got to provide a balance and I think the Prime Minister has tried to strike that with the Premiers.

“People don’t want us bickering, they want these problems sorted, they want to get back to their lives as they knew it a few years ago.”

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