Highlights
- Senator Penny Wong and Senator Kristina Keneally have moved the motion in the Senate
- They have urged the government to increase the number of international arrivals
- Also called for the government to arrange charter flights from the UK, India, Philippines and Lebanon
More than 25,000 Australians are currently stranded overseas and 3,500 of these are currently financially or medically vulnerable, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
“That number is rising every day but there is still no plan from Scott Morrison to help them return home – only spin and empty announcements,” Leader of the Australian Labor Party in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong told reporters last week.
Ms Wong and Shadow Minister for Immigration, Kristina Keneally have now moved a motion in the Senate calling on the government to increase the number of international arrivals, increase quarantine capacity, stop price gouging by airlines and arrange charter flights especially from the United Kingdom, India, Philippines and Lebanon to help Australians return home.
Labor Senators Kristina Keneally and Penny Wong have called on the government to take urgent steps, including arranging charter flights, to help Australians. Source: AAP Image/James Gourley/David Mariuz
“A tragic story, yesterday I heard about a husband - he's a Nurse Unit Manager at an aged care home in Victoria on the front line of this virus and he has been separated from his wife and 11-month-old baby since March.
“They travelled to India late last year to see family, to introduce the baby to the family. He returned in February. His wife and daughter were due to come back in April, but then COVID hit and they have been stranded there ever since.
“And he's just hoping they get home in time for their daughter's first birthday, but for months now he's been separated from his wife and child.
“This is just one of many, many stories - some 25,000 Australians who are registered with DFAT, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who want to come home and can't get home.
“Last week in the Senate, Senator Penny Wong and I put a plan that's up for a vote shortly in the Senate. We put a plan before the Senate to call on the Government to temporarily increase the cap to allow international arrivals, to allow people to come home, to stop price gouging by airlines that fly to Australia and to put all options on the table including sending out charter flights to bring home these stranded Australians.
“So we need to do everything we can to help get these stranded Aussies home in the middle of a deadly global pandemic,” Senator Keneally said.
The motion is likely to go to vote in the week starting October 6, 2020, when the parliament returns.
Hardship loans of up to $5000 announced
The Australian Government unveiled a new Hardship Program for ‘vulnerable Australian citizens’ experiencing financial distress last week.
Those who are eligible can Individuals will be able to borrow up to $2,000 while families will be able to apply for loans worth up to $5,000.
They'll also be able to apply for a one-off loan of up to $2,000 to help cover the cost of an economy class flight home.
The Foreign Minister Marise Payne told the Senate the assistance was available "as a last resort".
Senator Wong and Senator Keneally said the announcement was an attempt to get a headline without actually helping people.
“The 23,000 Australians stranded overseas need more than empty announcements – they need a plan to get home.
“The Morrison Government has already proven it has the ability to repatriate stranded Australians with Federal quarantine arrangements – as they did at the start of the pandemic – and should act now to help stranded Australians get home.”
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others.
Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
