The level was created by the 350,000 Australians living overseas noticing Australia had almost no covid while all the infections were going through the roof everywhere else. Understandably, they all wanted to come home.
Sadly, they couldn't because of three reasons. The first is the airline industry collapsed, and so flights went from $3K to $30k each - or more, and there was a very limited number. The second is we don't have the quarantine capacity. The third is every so often quarantine system leaks, which can cost billions.
They demanded the government fly them home for free, they said they the government had to do it because they had a duty to protect all Australians, even ones who earlier on decided not to fly home when covid started, and to bolster their case they went to the media with on sob stories about needing to see their dying long lost cousin or whatever.
No one came out out it smelling like a rose. Some came out of it dead. And understandably, no one wanted a repeat performance. Other solutions, like insisting they had an open return ticket were kiboshed by the travel industry not honouring return tickets or anything else.
Which is how we ended up with the current ham fisted approach at people needing visa's to leave Australia. It's not a good look I agree, but fortunately every politician is very aware of how unpopular it will be when the country open up after the vaccinations are done. Australian's like their travel. The policy will be dropped like a hot potato as soon as the majority political sentiment becomes "it's OK to open up". The vaccination program has been a monumental clusterfuck so it's progressing god awfully slowly, but nonetheless it's looking like we will be in that position by Xmas.
The level was created by the 350,000 Australians living overseas noticing Australia had almost no covid while all the infections were going through the roof everywhere else. Understandably, they all wanted to come home.
Sadly, they couldn't because of three reasons. The first is the airline industry collapsed, and so flights went from $3K to $30k each - or more, and there was a very limited number. The second is we don't have the quarantine capacity. The third is every so often quarantine system leaks, which can cost billions.
They demanded the government fly them home for free, they said they the government had to do it because they had a duty to protect all Australians, even ones who earlier on decided not to fly home when covid started, and to bolster their case they went to the media with on sob stories about needing to see their dying long lost cousin or whatever.
No one came out out it smelling like a rose. Some came out of it dead. And understandably, no one wanted a repeat performance. Other solutions, like insisting they had an open return ticket were kiboshed by the travel industry not honouring return tickets or anything else.
Which is how we ended up with the current ham fisted approach at people needing visa's to leave Australia. It's not a good look I agree, but fortunately every politician is very aware of how unpopular it will be when the country open up after the vaccinations are done. Australian's like their travel. The policy will be dropped like a hot potato as soon as the majority political sentiment becomes "it's OK to open up". The vaccination program has been a monumental clusterfuck so it's progressing god awfully slowly, but nonetheless it's looking like we will be in that position by Xmas.