Last week, the South Australian Government tightened its border restrictions to residents from Victoria:
From 12.01 am Friday 21 August, cross border community members will not be able to enter South Australia from Victoria unless they can apply under a different category of Essential Traveller…
Travellers from Victoria, other than approved categories of Essential Travellers, are not permitted to travel to South Australia. Checkpoints or road blocks will be set up at all border crossings between South Australia and Victoria.
South Australia also has restrictions in place for residents of NSW and the ACT:
Travellers from ACT and NSW, other than essential travellers, will be required to:
- self-quarantine for 14 days after entering SA
- submit for COVID-19 testing on:
- the first day of entry to SA (the day of arrival)
- the twelfth day of arrival
Amazingly, the South Australian will allow entry of international students before it reopens its borders to Victoria:
It was announced on Sunday South Australia would become the first state in the country to welcome international students back to its universities, with about 300 set to land in Adelaide in September.
The students will undertake two weeks of hotel quarantine, paid for by their universities, before they start their studies…
Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said the pilot was “very important” to the country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a very important next step in terms of the recovery from the economic disaster of COVID,” he said.
“International education is a huge services export industry for Australia and South Australia.
“It underpins many thousands of jobs and it is important that we figure out how we can get international students back to Australia safely and appropriately”…
“It’s being done with the absolute utmost of safety requirements in place,” he said.
There is so much fundamentally wrong with this.
First, Melbourne has been placed into a long and painful lockdown due to botched quarantine. That botched quarantine has reduced capacity across all of Australia, reducing the number of Australians permitted to return home:
Following Victoria’s bungled-up hotel quarantine and concerns raised by other states and territories in managing the hotel quarantine program, Prime Minister Scott Morrison slashed the number of international arrivals and the free quarantine program in July, forcing a longer wait upon those stuck abroad trying desperately to return to Australia.
While other states and territories continue to allow international arrivals, the number has been reduced significantly from 6500 to 4000 arrivals every week.
Therefore, the Australian Government and greedy universities are introducing unnecessary risk to the community at the expense of actual Australians stuck overseas and wanting to return home.
Second, why should international students be allowed to travel to Australia when Australians cannot travel freely around their own country? My family cannot go to Adelaide and we will miss my wife’s cousin’s wedding in October. So, how is it fair that international students have more freedom to move around Australia than I do?
Third, how is it fair that international students can travel to Australia when Australians are banned from travelling abroad?
Shocked Australian citizens have told The Australian about “alarming” letters they have received from the Department of Home Affairs after applying for an exemption to travel abroad to visit sick relatives, take up scholarships or join family abroad.
The letters say their names and passport details have been forwarded to all international departure points and Border Force, a process that triggers an alarm at the airport if they try to leave.
Australia is the only democracy in the world with an outbound travel ban, which prevents citizens from leaving without an exemption from a bureaucrat…
Australians must apply for a permit, which is granted only in exceptional circumstances. The vast majority of applications — up to 75 per cent — are being denied…
National cabinet has extended the travel ban until October 24.
One quarantine leak obviously has the potential to destroy the South Australian economy, just as it has in Victoria. Are policy makers really so captured by our rent-seeking universities that they are willing to risk so much for minimal pay-off?
Moreover, international students have a track record of not complying with visa conditions. Thus, they are less likely to comply with quarantine arrangements.
Australia’s international border must remain closed to everyone except returning citizens and permanent residents. No exceptions.
