Australia to Reduce Incoming Int. Passenger Capacity from July 2021

[MEL_Traveller]

I understand her logic but she was particularly harsh on business travellers as being able to obtain an exemption. Yet here she is.

Hardly surprising that I agree with her position! Her travel to the Tokyo Olympics might have been handled better in terms of her choice of vaccine, but I think the travel itself is legitimate.

 

[Pushka]

Hardly surprising that I agree with her position! Her travel to the Tokyo Olympics might have been handled better in terms of her choice of vaccine, but I think the travel itself is legitimate.

Yes the travel is legitimate. Her vocal and nasty condemnation of other business travellers as being the cause of these waves, simply wasnt. And that is the issue.

 

[PineappleSkip]

I am pleased that AP is going to Hotel Quaro like everyone else. I recommend a room in the solo traveller quarters at Rydges Fortitude Valley, but suspect she'll get the Westin. Arbitrary denials of travel exemption to random people in her party would also be part of the hoi polloi experience.

But then who wants to live in Iowa.

I remember the Lonely Planet advice about Des Moines many years ago.

You are in Des Moines because you're travelling east, or you're travelling west. Keep travelling.

This was in the day when they weren't afraid to ridicule uninspiring places, before the palaver about their description of Invercargill as a city of check shirts and bad haircuts.

Cheers skip

 

[dajop]

OK found the announcement from March. It suggests

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Northern Territory's Howard Springs quarantine facility would expand to accept 2,000 returned Australians a fortnight, up from 850.

Howard Springs quarantine facility set to more than double in capacity

The Northern Territory's Howard Springs quarantine facility will soon be responsible for quarantining 15 per cent of all Australians returning on international repatriation flights.

www.abc.net.au

Currently reporting that 20 repatriation flights will be coming to Howard Springs between now and end of September. Thats 20 flights over 12 weeks. Each flight carries 236 seats which aren't all filled, so lets say 210. That's roughly 700 a fortnight. So why did they bother expanding it to 2000?

Why can't they work with the carriers currently bringing people to Australia, to allow them to bring some of the people already booked into Australia so they don't have to booted off. Could give SQ, QR and some other carriers a flight a week or something like that to take up the extra 1300/fortnight. The government lacks will (polling says don't bother about) and/or lacks the imagination. If I had a local member I'd write to them, but I don't as I live overseas (although nominally based on my last electorate it would be the only Greens member in the House of Reps).

More article about those being bumped from the caps:

Airlines warn arrival caps will bump 18,000 Australians from flights home

“It will be a very stressful situation for everyone,” says the head of The Board of Airline Representatives of Australia, bracing for six weeks of cuts to arrivals.

www.smh.com.au

 

[Tiki]

I’m fine with Anna going to Tokyo because on a personal level I am excited to have the Olympics in my home town, and it’s good for the whole country. But I think on the return she should get the full HQ experience, coughpy food, no exercise, no open windows, etc so she sees what she forces others to do.

 

[mviy]

I'm fine with her going but as a politician she should be setting an example and by going she is clearly being a hypocrite. Hopefully any time she advocates for limited international travel in the future journos will bring up her hypocrisy on this matter which is probably the main purpose of the petition.

 

[roogirl]

Surely Brisbane won’t get the ‘32 olympics? It will have gone Paris LA then Brissy - 3 white western powers in a row. Would be disappointing at a global level if that happened.

 

[bcworld]

Surely Brisbane won’t get the ‘32 olympics? It will have gone Paris LA then Brissy - 3 white western powers in a row. Would be disappointing at a global level if that happened.

I don't believe anyone else is bidding.

 

[roogirl]

I don't believe anyone else is bidding.

Well if that is the case it begs the question of why her presence is required?!

 

[kamchatsky]

Well if that is the case it begs the question of why her presence is required?!

Brisbane is not a world city like Sydney. She needs to go there to tell IOC members that it exists and where it is!

 

[PineappleSkip]

The decision to ratify - or not - Brisbane's bid is made 2 days before the start of the Tokyo Olympics. Not convinced it's in the National Interest for AP to hang around for the Tokyo Games though; that would look a bit junketty.

This is the first time a single bid, proposed by the IOC, will be put up for ratification, and who knows what will result.
Olympics Brisbane 2032 not a done deal yet, says Coates.

China was going to put up a bid for Chongking-Chengdu, but they seem to have uncharacteristically pulled their head in. Avoiding a potential loss of face maybe?

Cheers skip

 

[AustSerbKor]

here's my 2 cents worth on those thinking they would leave Australia if only they had dual citizenship.

You beat me to this post; Ms Big_fella1 as a non-Australian citizen, cannot leave either as the ban applies to Australian citizens and permanent residents regardless of their other citizenships.
I had always assumed that as an Australian citizen, I would be able to return to Australia if there was trouble.
If a pandemic can end this, what the next excuse to refuse a citizens' right to come home?
My desire for a 2nd passport is if I am ever caught overseas when things turn sour, I can no longer trust my Australian citizenship.
This is why I object to travel cap decreases. I would stay in quarantine in army tents in the desert to come home, but I wouldn't expect to pay for it. Instead we have user pays where people pay $3000+ when they are allowed to get home and the government loses taxpayers money as well.

 

[Lynda2475]

it sounds like South Australia will do the trial and then based on that it could be started in phase 2

How many South Australians are looking to return vs fligths coming into ADL? Wondering in the trial would be open to anyone, even if they booked a short term rental if SA is not their home state?

One would thnk the trial would be somewhere that had more direct flights from places using approved vaccines i.e. UK and USA into SYD.

Didn’t you all know that being vaccinated only makes a difference within Australia?

Makes no difference within Australia either unfortnately. Fully vaccinated are locked out with everyone else when a state closes borders.

I would like to get another citizenship but my family has been in Australia for too many generations for that to be easy. If I had dual citizenship I would have been planning to leave by now and ride out the rest of the pandemic overseas.

Me too, sux to be this Aussie right now. Last year I was happy to stay put, but given the depressingly slow and non comittal plan for opening up its defintely time to look at other options such as sponsored work visa or US greencard lottery to leave, then work on qualifying for a second citizenship.

 

[Lynda2475]

Well if that is the case it begs the question of why her presence is required?!

Its not, she just wants a holiday

 

[Lynda2475]

the Olympics in my home town, and it’s good for the whole country.

But is it? The Olympics have not been as profitable in recent years as in the past, tourism hasnt always flowed in high enough volume to recoup the costs of building all the venues. Tokyo is certainly not making any money from them this year.

 

[levelnine]

Hearing from many people the flight cancellations have begun en masse, especially with SIA.

 

[mviy]

It's terribly sad for all those overseas and for those needing to head overseas and come home.

With the reduced caps I wonder why they don't change it so that it's Australian citizens only allowed to come and everyone else including Permanent Residents and immediate family of Australians and Permanent Residents requiring an exemption. Is it really fair to be prioritising non-citizens ahead of citizens coming into the country with such low caps?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It's terribly sad for all those overseas and for those needing to head overseas and come home.

With the reduced caps I wonder why they don't change it so that it's Australian citizens only allowed to come and everyone else including Permanent Residents and immediate family of Australians and Permanent Residents requiring an exemption. Is it really fair to be prioritising non-citizens ahead of citizens coming into the country with such low caps?

But it's more than that Non-residents are free to come and go, multiple times. Just because an Aussie happens to live overseas, why are they permitted freedoms Aussies resident here don't have? If we have to apply for an exemption to visit family overseas, why isn't there a similar scheme for inbound visits? Those coming home permanently should be given a permit automatically.

 

[Seat0B]

I understand her logic but she was particularly harsh on business travellers as being able to obtain an exemption. Yet here she is.

And the Deputy said that those business travellers were putting the Queensland community at risk. But apparently this special business traveller won’t.
Petition now at almost 51,000 signatures so I’m clearly not alone in how I feel - including outside AFF.

 

[Pushka]

And the Deputy said that those business travellers were putting the Queensland community at risk. But apparently this special business traveller won’t.
Petition now at almost 51,000 signatures so I’m clearly not alone in how I feel - including outside AFF.

FB groups for separated parents/children and separated partners are also having a voice. At last.