Priya Menon-Nair was supposed to start a new life in Australia earlier this year. Her husband had secured a job in Sydney, and the couple and their two children were excited about moving to Australia. They were planning to book their flight tickets for March 2020.
Highlights:
- More than 38,000 people have registered with DFAT to return home.
- More than 45,000 people have returned to Australia since September.
- 10,000 people are in India who want to return to Australia.
Listen to Priya Menon-Nair's story in her own words:
LISTEN TO
10,000 stranded in India are waiting to return to Australia
SBS Hindi
16/12/202006:29
"We were supposed to travel in March, and that's when the borders were closed. So we couldn't book the tickets. We asked the agent to book the tickets, but then India also closed the borders. So we could not book the ticket in time, and so now we are stuck with no tickets at all," Ms Menon-Nair told SBS Hindi over the phone from Hyderabad in India.
She is one of over 10,000 people stuck in India who have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to come to Australia.
However, most of them cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel as the number of international arrivals is still subject to a weekly cap in Australia.
Source: Wikimedia/mitrebuad
NSW premier Ms Gladys Berejiklian told media last week that the arrival cap of 3,000 passengers per week would remain in place.
"As you know we're bringing back 3000 Aussies every week through NSW. 45 per cent of those actually go on to other states, and 55 per cent are staying in New South Wales.
"I am not happy to see the quarantine system to move outside the hotels at this stage. I think that would be too high a risk. For that reason, the cap of 3,000 is not going to change in New South Wales," said Ms Berejiklian.
More than 45,000 people have returned to Australia since September.
They were among tens of thousands who were stranded overseas after the federal government announced international border-closure, giving people less than 72-hour notice to return.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the media after last week's national cabinet that more than 38,000 people are still overseas and want to come back home, the highest being in India.
We have got home 45,954 Australians. We still have right now registered overseas some 38,655.
He said the situation would be reviewed next month as the vaccine is introduced in the UK.
"We will continue to monitor through contact directly with people overseas that need to return home. That may change over the next month as vaccines are introduced particularly in the United Kingdom, which is one of the key areas Australians are seeking to come home from."
"The biggest number of people seeking to come home from is India as over 10,000 there. Just about under 5,000 in the UK," said the Prime Minister.
Priya Menon-Nair says the Australian government could have handled the situation differently to save people from all the pain and misery.
Passengers are seen disembarking a SkyBus and entering a hotel quarantine facility in Melbourne, Monday, December 7, 2020 Source: AAP
"What they could have done if they are so worried about people going to Australia infecting themselves is that India has a lot of hotels, those who have to travel back, and I am not talking about tourists, but those who are Australian residents, they could have been quarantined here in India.
"Allow quarantine to happen here and then straight away pick the flight. That way, you don't have to worry about quarantine facilities in Australia," suggests Ms Menon-Nair.
People who are coming from overseas have to stay in quarantine at their own expense here in Australia at the facilities identified by the authorities. They have to pay almost $5,000 for a family of four.
Ms Menon-Nair says $5,000 is a lot of money for a family who is stuck in India as many of them have no jobs now and have to pay two-three times the normal price for the tickets too.
