Australians have been banned from leaving the country since March 2020, resulting in tens of thousands of citizens and permanent residents unable to see their parents for more than a year.
A number of petitions have been launched to allow grandparents and parents of people living in Australia the chance to visit their loved ones with one by Stacey Johnson having gained more than 9,000 signatures of people seeking for immediate family members to be let into the country.
Ms Johnson states, “Parents are essential and connection with family is equally as important to migrants as it is to families living in Australia. Australians have not seen their parents for a significant amount of time due to the travel ban and a strict exemption criteria which prevents people from obtaining exemptions unless they have a compelling reason,” she states.
Valeria Greenfield’s petition to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton states that there are “thousands of children who are not being allowed to develop and maintain close relationships with their grandparents.Some of these children have not even met them yet. My daughter, Giulia (6 months old), is just one of these children who have never received a cuddle from their grandparents, been nursed by them, taken to the park, played or done all the normal things most children have.”
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She writes, “It is well known that the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is of the utmost value. Research claims growing up with grandparents helps children become better able to cope with adverse childhood experiences and trauma, contributes to the child’s well-being, leading to less behaviour and emotional problems. Research also indicates that these kids have a more secure, developed sense of self, and have a lower risk of becoming depressed (source: University of Oxford).”
In another petition on change.org by Sarina Sharp states “the laws in Australia need to change so that grandparents everywhere have mandatory rights to visit their grandchildren (except in the most serious of circumstances like murder or pedophilia)”.
Under the COVID-19 travel ban, only a spouse, de fact partner, child or legal guardian of an Australian resident is permitted to visit Australia via hotel quarantine however a census taken in 2016 showed that half of Australians were either born overseas or had at least one parent living abroad.
A 2016 census showed that half of Australians were either born overseas or had at least one parent who was born overseas.
