Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his “Fortress Australia” Covid-19 restrictions, as experts warned that plans to keep the borders closed for another year will create a “hermit nation”.

“Everyone is keen to get back to a time that we once knew,” the conservative leader said in the face of growing calls for international borders to reopen. “The reality is we're living this year in a pandemic that's worse than last year.”

Last March, Australia took the unprecedented step of closing its borders to foreign visitors and banning its globetrotting citizens from leaving. The government's recent suggestion that borders could remain closed for another year has sparked fierce debate.