Reasons behind border crossing changes including East St ramp closure unclear

The East Street northbound on-ramp of the Hume Highway at South Albury is being closed from 9am to 12pm each day, as an extension of the border checkpoint.

That on-ramp is the B-double-approved route used by Border Express for trucks heading toward Sydney, but director Geoff Luff said the three-hour closure was not causing issues, as most of their northbound traffic moved outside of that timeframe.

"If we were still doing Norske Skog, yes [it would have been an issue], but we don't send many B-doubles that way early," he said.

"There's no impact heading to Wodonga."

Mr Luff said it appeared NSW Police was using the on-ramp as an area where vehicles could be directed for further questioning, after being stopped on the highway.

NSW Police media could not provide details of the ramp closure.

Another major change within the past week has been routine scanning of QR codes on permits.

The codes were issued on permits approved after July 21, but it has only been since the creation of the 'border region' on August 7 that police and Australian Defence Force members have been scanning the QR codes.

When scanned using a smartphone, the code lands on a Service NSW web page with the permit holder's details, given during the online application.

The QR code would therefore reveal if a person has falsified their permit, if the details on the print-out do not match the details online.

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NSW Police confirmed the codes are being scanned to ensure they are not only valid and being held by the right people, but also to make sure that those with permits are adhering to Victorian and NSW Health orders.

NSW Health, which grants the permits, did not confirm what information was being recorded through the QR codes.

"The permit system is designed to support the public health orders that are in place to protect the NSW community during the COVID-19 pandemic and to contain the spread of the virus," a spokeswoman said.

"Decisions such as the length of time the permits are valid, are based on health advice."

The Border Mail understands that most QR codes are simply linked to a website, but there are tracking and analytic programs that can record when the code was scanned and where.

Traffic monitoring cameras and counters are in use at many crossings, including as remote as the Towong bridge where a hard closure is in place.

Communication remains a major issue for all aspects of the permit system.

Moira Council chief executive Mark Henderson said his council was getting regular updates from the cross-border commissioners.

"They have achieved some improvements to maps and specific employment sectors," he said.

"However, it's very clear the NSW government has little interest in how our border communities function, which ends up hurting residents both in Victoria and NSW."