Australians at home and abroad have been waiting anxiously this week after the announcement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison that the country would be capping international arrivals and introducing quarantine fees Australia-wide.
In the days that have followed, details have been sparse, leaving those Australians attempting to get home feeling abandoned and powerless.
In an update to Facebook, smartraveller.gov.au offered unclear guidance, telling Aussies that:
“Your flight into Australia may be affected. You may also need to contribute to the costs of quarantine when you return.
“We know this is a stressful time for many Australians overseas who are trying to get home. Our embassies, high commissions and consulates will continue to provide you with assistance and information during this time.”
The language coming from ScoMo and other members of government is less understanding. The general vibe has been “you had your chance to come home, now sort yourselves out”.
In a recent press conference on the new approach to hotel quarantine, the PM said:
“They’d be actually solely within their rights to do that [charge returning Australians]. I think that would be a completely understandable proposition for people who have been away for some time and there’s been many opportunities for people to return. If they’re choosing to do so now, they have obviously delayed that decision for a period.”
Yes, they have delayed that decision to move countries in the middle of a pandemic. Possibly because they had work up until this point. Or health care up until this point. Or needed to figure out what to do with their leases? Or possibly because they were waiting until the rate of transmission in the country they’re living in dropped somewhat and it became safer to fly/less likely they’d infect other Aussies or their family members.
Just a few possible factors, you know?
In any case, the cap on returns is happening (though I can tell you there are airlines in the U.S that were none the wiser up until at least a couple of days ago) and fees are being implemented. Here is what we know so far.
As the SMH reports, currently Sydney has capped international arrivals at 450 per day, Brisbane is taking in 500 per week and Perth 525 weekly arrivals. Melbourne is not currently receiving international arrivals.
Presently, the cost of a mandatory stay in a luxury hotel for your quarantine experience is looking to be about $3,000 for a single adult. I.e. more than some people’s monthly rent.
As SBS shared, Queensland implemented fees as of July 1st. One single adult will be charged $2,800, two adults: $3,710 and $4,620 for two adults and two children.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that anyone flying into Sydney will now be responsible for the cost of their stay, also. According to the SMH anyone who purchases a flight into Sydney after 11:59pm on July 12th AEST will be asked to pay the following:
Single travellers will be charged $3000, then $1000 for each additional adult. The fee for children over three is $500 per child. Kids under three can stay free.
The SMH shared that considerations will be made for families who cannot afford the cost. The details on that plan are unclear, however.
Remaining states and territories are yet to confirm their pricing process, but the PM has said there is an intention to see some uniformity with costs across Australia.
Ultimately, the Australian government has based its decisions on a desire “to protect the health of Australia and Australians”… just not all of them, it seems.
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