Prime Minister Scott Morrison has offered cautious support to the NRL for its plan to restart the competition on May 28, echoing ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys' comments that they must do so with public health being paramount.
The Prime Minister told Channel Seven on Tuesday morning that he welcomed the return of the Telstra Premiership as long as the NRL complied with the relevant health advice from the state and federal governments.
V'landys and NRL CEO Todd Greenberg have repeatedly stated throughout the coronavirus pandemic that they had been acting based on the advice of health professionals and governments, and would continue to do so in the lead-up to next month's proposed restart of the competition.
"I noticed the plans that they had to bring it back," Mr Morrison said on the Sunrise program.
"I like it that people are planning to get Australia back to normal but obviously all of these things will be subject to the health advice and the health clearances that are necessary.
"Whether it happens to be football or whatever it happens to be the health advice has to be paramount and I have no doubt that the NRL and the other codes understand that and they will comply with that."
The well-known Cronulla Sharks fan said he wanted people in Australia to look forward to the eventual lifting of restrictions that have been brought in to control the spread of COVID-19.
"I welcome the fact that people are thinking ahead and working out ways they can get things back on a stronger footing," he said.
"That's certainly what we are doing as a national cabinet whether it's on the economy or health or any of those other issues.
"We've got to look forward to that other side because there is another side and Australians are helping us get to that other side, but there's some work to do yet and we are very focused on that and I'm sure we can take Australia there as soon as we can, but we've got to be careful not to get ahead of ourselves."
His comments come after NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller on Monday said he would have no objections if the NRL wanted all 16 teams to be based in the state.
Fuller said he would work with the NSW health department to ensure the move would be possible if the ARL Commission needed to bring the three Queensland sides, the Warriors, Melbourne and Canberra into the state if travel restrictions are still in place next month.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Sunday had said that she would not at this stage be giving the three Queensland-based NRL sides an exemption to cross the border into NSW unless they entered into a 14-day quarantine.
