Highlights
- Australian borders may not open to international travellers "anytime soon" said PM Scott Morrison
- Australian borders could remain closed until 2021 said Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham
- Temporary visa holders stranded offshore urge government to commit to a timeline to reopen borders
Remaining firm on his stance on international border closure, Mr Morrison today reiterated that his focus will remain on reopening the economy and getting Australians back into their jobs.
The prime minister said his government is “fully immersed” in taking decisions that would generate and secure jobs and resurrect the economy.
“When it comes to facilitating the ability of people to move in and out of Australia, involved in important employment or work or investment or whether it is students or others, I’ve just had some of those issues raised with me by the entertainment industry about tours and promotions and artists and so on.
"These are very practical issues that go to the opening of the economy and I can tell you, we are fully immersed in all of these decisions,” the prime minister said during a press conference.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison Source: AAP
Can't see borders opening 'anytime soon'
Giving further insight into the country’s border control measures in an interview earlier this week, Mr Morrison said the current travel restrictions are likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future, barring a few exceptions.
“I can't honestly see international travel more generally, people coming from all over the world to Australia again anytime soon,” he told 2GB radio.
“I think there's the opportunity for Australians to engage in essential business travel, there are already exemptions for that at the moment, provided the quarantine arrangements are put in place when they return. So, we'll look, we’re just looking to be as practical as we can about this and open-up the economy as much as possible, because that's what it's going to get the jobs back,” said Mr Morrison.
'We need answers'
Australia's unemployment rate jumped to a seasonally adjusted 7.1 per cent in May, with 227,700 jobs lost during the month- the worse in almost two decades.
According to ABS data, it’s estimated that nearly 927,600 Australians are now unemployed, a sample that experts believe does not represent thousands of work visa holders who are currently stranded offshore.
Work visa holder, Kavish Chopra who was deputed to carry out IT work for a firm in Melbourne more than five years ago has been stranded in New Delhi ever since the Australian government closed its borders in March.
Kavish Chopra with his family. Source: Supplied
Speaking to SBS Punjabi, the 30-year-old IT engineer said he may not have a job by the end of this month if he is not allowed to travel to Australia at the earliest.
“I applied for a travel exemption twice on compassionate grounds, only to be rejected both times. My company needs me, but despite that I have not yet been allowed to travel,” he said.
Mr Chopra added that the nature of his job does not allow him to work remotely from an overseas location putting his job and future in Australia at risk.
“I have already exhausted my quota of paid leave and cannot work remotely owing to data compliance and security constraints attached to my job profile. So, the only way for me to retain this job is to be able to make it back to Australia at the earliest.”
Mr Chopra’s case is not an isolated one. There are thousands of long-term work visa holders who are living with unavoidable uncertainty where their jobs are in jeopardy and savings are fast depleting as they are still having to pay for rent and utility bills in Australia.
A petition with more than 12,000 signatures is calling for temporary visa holders stranded overseas to return to Australia. Source: Lucy Crisp
All of them are now looking for a "definitive answer" from the federal government, said Mr Chopra.
"We need answers so we can move on with our lives or take decisions. We deserve to be told when the borders would reopen for all of us so we can make decisions related to our work, living arrangements and the future of our children who were born in Australia," he said.
But while the government has not yet provided a timeline on when it would lift border restrictions, Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has indicated that nation's borders are likely to remain closed until next year.
"I do sadly think that in terms of open tourist-related travel in or out of Australia, that remains quite some distance off," Mr Birmingham told the National Press Club on Wednesday.
When asked whether that meant the border would not open until 2021, he said, "I think that is more likely the case".
Former senior Immigration Department official Abul Rizvi said reopening of the economy could be the only prospect in the absence of a COVID-19 vaccine that could usher in a gradual return of the temporary migrants into the country, but he cautioned that the process would be “slow and selective.”
Former deputy secretary of the immigration department - Abul Rizvi Source: SBS
“Economy will remain weak, unemployment will remain high if the international borders remain closed. As the economy gradually opens-up including the internal economy, unemployment should decline and demand for workers will increase and that will lead to demand for people with skills who are in shortage in Australia and will mean a need to import skills, but that will happen very-very gradually,” he said.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at
