26000 Aussies stuck overseas want to back to home

More than 26,000 Australians stranded overseas have registered as wanting to come home including 4000 who have been classed as vulnerable. Australians stuck overseas and their families have accused the federal government of abandoning its citizens over the cap on international arrivals, which has left thousands of citizens unable to get home.

A parliamentary inquiry yesterday heard from a Australian family of seven which faces having to spend $70,000 on flights to get back to Australia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Thursday confirmed the number of Australians registered as wanting to come home is 26,800. Just last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there were about 24,000 citizens who needed to return Australians.

Mr Morrison last week announced international arrival caps will be lifted by 1500 a week in stages, instead of adding 2000 extra places in one hit as he had wanted.

The top five countries where Australians are stranded are India, the United Kingdom, Philippines, Thailand and South Africa.

The weekly cap of about 4000 overseas arrivals has resulted in airlines prioritising business and first-class passengers to remain profitable, with planes carrying as few as four economy passengers. Appearing before the parliamentary inquiry scrutinising the government's response to the Covid-19 crisis, DFAT secretary Frances Adamson responded to claims there could be as many as 100,000 Australians wanting to come home.

She said the 26,800 estimate was the most reliable information available to DFAT but the situation for Australians varies over time and has changed over time and it was not a fixed number. We also know from experience that in not all cases, even if flights are available, will they actually choose to come home. There are 35,700 Australians registered with the Smartraveller website as being overseas, but DFAT says not all of these people want to return home.

The Morrison government announced earlier this month there would be new hardship loans to support Australians stranded overseas who are struggling financially and cannot get home. DFAT confirmed it had already handed out more than 300 of the loans, while there had been about 825 applications for emergency assistance.

Source: - Sydney Morning Herald