Podcast #45: Vulnerable Australians Stranded Overseas

Courtney Devine has been working in Amsterdam for more than two years. Desperate now to return to Perth, the Australian woman was left with no choice but to set up a “Go Fund Me” page to raise the $10,542 needed to book a flight home and pay for hotel quarantine on arrival. She still then had … Continued

What to Expect in Australian Hotel Quarantine

If you’re returning to Australia from overseas – or travelling interstate from a designated COVID-19 hotspot – there’s a good chance you’ll end up in hotel quarantine. Since 29 March 2020, anyone arriving in Australia is required to undergo 14 days of managed isolation in a hotel room. This needs to be completed in government-designated … Continued

New Zealanders Could be Exempt from Australian Hotel Quarantine

People arriving in Australia from parts of New Zealand with no COVID-19 cases may soon be exempt from undergoing 14 days of hotel quarantine. Speaking to his counterpart in New Zealand last Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison advised Jacinda Ardern that Australia would seek to apply the same hotspot approach proposed locally to New Zealand. … Continued

When Should Australia Lift its Outbound Travel Ban?

On 25 March 2020, the Australian government banned citizens and temporary residents from leaving the country without a special exemption. This extraordinary temporary measure was introduced amid growing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the Australian outbound travel ban was widely viewed as reasonable. It’s now the end of August. Not only is … Continued

International Arrival Caps Locking Out Australians

Thousands of stranded Australians are unable to return home due to restrictive caps on arriving international passenger numbers. Since July, the number of daily and weekly inbound passenger arrivals have been limited at all five of Australia’s major international airports. A maximum of 525 international travellers are permitted to arrive in Perth each week, with … Continued