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Sky News host James Morrow says National Cabinet’s in-principle agreement for a four-phase roadmap out of the COVID-19 pandemic “risks breaking up the federation further”.

Under current arrangements, the nation will move to Phase B – which will include lockdowns and low numbers of international arrivals – from the current suppression phase once 70 per cent of the population is vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated Australians will not face restrictions and will be allowed to leave the country once the nation transitions to Phase C of the roadmap, while the final stage will see the nation live with COVID-19 “like any other infectious disease”.

“You’ll see huge resentment in NSW if we in NSW start to hit those numbers and don’t get the freedoms that go along with them because the national average is still being held down by other states and territories,” Mr Morrow said.

He said premiers would have the ability to essentially hold the nation “hostage”.

“We’ve already seen Dan Andrews walk back his very briefly sensible comments about once everybody’s had the chance to get the jab you move forward, he’s walked that back,” Mr Morrow said.

“Queensland, Western Australia, I don’t think there’s going to be really any huge enthusiasm there to push forward with this plan in those states where it is very electorally popular to be locked down and locked out of the rest of the country.”