Australia's leaders will weigh up reopening the New Zealand border along with the shorter-term relaxation of social and economic coronavirus restrictions.
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will join Tuesday's national cabinet meeting of federal and state leaders.
Flights are not expected to restart in coming weeks, but trans-Tasman travel is expected to be the first international border to reopen.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will chair the meeting, the first of two critical discussions on easing restrictions this week.
An announcement is expected after Friday's phone hook-up, which could determine a significant step on the long road back to normality.
Returning to offices and other worksites is a priority, with large swathes of the population working from home or without a job.
Mr Morrison, premiers and chief ministers will receive a presentation on virus-safe workplaces.
Australia's death toll has reached 96 after an outbreak at a Sydney nursing home claimed a 15th victim.
A Melbourne abattoir is behind 19 of Victoria's 22 new cases, with 34 infections linked to Cedar Meats in the city's western suburbs.
A Sydney school was closed on Monday when a student tested positive, just one day after a Melbourne campus was shut because a teacher had contracted the disease.
In Queensland, the staggered path back to the classroom has been outlined with kindergarten, prep and years 1, 11 and 12 returning to classrooms on May 11.
Schools are expected to be fully operational from May 25 provided the number of cases detected remains low across the state.
Victoria is maintaining a hardline on schools and other restrictions, while smaller states have encouraged students to return to classrooms amid low infection rates.
Federal Industry Minister Karen Andrews says national cabinet would look at sensible ways to relax rules based on expert medical advice.
"It's very important that we all take baby steps," she said on the Gold Coast on Monday.
She is hopeful a vaccine will be ready by the end of this year or early in 2021.
"Quite frankly, until such time as we have a vaccine, life is not going to return to normal," she said.
CSIRO is working to fast-track two potential vaccines from the US and the UK.
The overwhelming majority of Australian coronavirus cases have originated from returning overseas travellers.
Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said reopening Australia's international borders was still a long way off.
"The main source of infections has been across those borders," he told ABC radio.
Treasury is forecasting an 85 per cent reduction in migration in 2020-21.
People are still able to enter Australia under exceptional circumstances, such as the New Zealand Warriors rugby league team, which touched down in Tamworth on Sunday.
NRL clubs will officially resume training on Wednesday ahead of the planned season restart on May 28.
There have been 6825 positive tests for coronavirus nationally, with about 1000 cases remaining active.
More than 4.5 million people have downloaded the COVIDSafe tracing app but the government wants millions more to sign on.
Australian Associated Press
