National Cabinet’s decision to half the number of incoming arrivals to Australia is a blow to 34,000 Australians abroad wishing to return home.
The Australian government’s decision to halve the number of incoming travellers from 6,070 to 3,035 per week could see 18,000 overseas Australians with tickets to return to Australia stranded by the end of August. The new caps were introduced to reduce the strain on the state hotel quarantine programmes but are bad news to stranded Australians with tickets to come home.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Board of Airline Representatives of Australia Barry Abrams said it’s “just the maths” of the situation.
There is criticism of the decision which contravenes Australians’ right to reenter the country.
Looking at the legality of the decision, Professor Jane McAdams and Associate Professor Regina Jefferies of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law of the University of NSW are researching the legality of the measure in accordance to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, onee of two core human rights treaties signed by the Whitlam Labor government and Ratified by the Fraser Liberal government in 1980. “Our research into the drafting history of the “right to enter” provision reveals just how narrowly it was intended to be construed. And — most significantly — it shows the drafters considered it should never be used to exclude residents from returning on health grounds,” they write in an article in The Conversation.
“In light of this background, Australia’s travel caps look like an arbitrary restriction on Australians’ right to come home.”
READ MORE: International travel unlikely for Australians until at least the end of 2022
Passenger arrival caps into Australia will be reduced by 14 July. Contact your airline or travel agent to confirm flight info. We'll provide further info as it becomes available. More here: https://t.co/ClxOan1Wat pic.twitter.com/UD4XhuLLX2
— Smartraveller (@Smartraveller) July 2, 2021
Human Rights Watch researcher Sophie McNeill was critical of the government’s decision.
“At this stage of the pandemic, the Australian government needs to prioritise finding more ways to safely quarantine Australians returning from overseas, so these stranded Australians, particularly children and other vulnerable people, can safely return home as soon as possible,” she said.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne promised to financially support Australians return home amid the decreased travel cap.
The Australian Border Force is giving permission to people to leave only if they have a “compelling reason” to leave for three months or more. There are about 450 people per day being given exemptions with fewer than half of requests made to leave for compassionate leaves being granted. A total of 28,000 people received permission to leave for personal reasons and 14,000 for business reasons.
There are also concerns that ticket prices have spiked since the announcement was made with references being made to flights from London to Sydney soaring to as high as $38,000 one-way, a day after the announcement. One-way flights from Athens to Melbourne are hovering at around $2,000.
