Letters to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk from Queenslanders separated from loved ones by the border closure

Memphis Francis is one of the lucky ones. There are still hundreds of Queenslanders locked out of their home. These 24 letters are just a few of the heartbreaking stories of neglect.

Three-year-old Memphis Francis was finally reunited with his mother Dominique Facer at Archerfield airport in Brisbane on Friday after he was stranded in New South Wales after going to visit his grandparents at Griffith on July 9.

But he’s one of the lucky ones. There are still hundreds of Queenslanders locked out of their home state, gripped by despair and in desperate hope of exemptions. These are just a few of their heartbreaking stories of neglect..

Natalie Victor

Dear Premier, while the pandemic is ripping through some States in Australia, have you considered the social and humanitarian devastation going on in your backyard?

I have the unfortunate honour of being the admin of a Facebook group called “Homeless outside QLD due to border restrictions” which has now over 1,300 families stuck in the same situation – we are all homeless and can’t get to our home in Queensland. Since the inception of the group on the 9th August, we are faced with a daily outpour of heartbreaking stories of families stranded and homeless while being subjected to the hardest living circumstances. This is progressively causing poverty, joblessness, domestic violence, pet dumping, mental illness and much more.

The harsh reality that I face is similar to the others, I am denied to return to my home and left homeless with no compassion, much like these fellow residents;

· A woman who was escaping her violent partner with her son has been forced to return to him because she didn’t make it to her sister’s home in the Gold Coast before the snap border closure.

· An older gentleman laid his son to rest in NSW and upon his return to his home in Hope Island was told he can’t cross the border and is now homeless.

· A family of 5 from Brisbane have been stuck in Shellharbour NSW after getting special care for their autistic child in June and are now destitute with no money due to the loss to the dad’s job.

· A Radcliffe resident is waiting to go home to enjoy his retirement since 1st July after working all his life as a FIFO in Sydney and is now homeless because he cant afford hotel quarantine.

This is just some of the heart wrenching stories and you only have to spend 5 minutes on the Facebook group to understand the absolute devastation that is ripping through your residents who are denied to come home! A one size fits all solution in hotel quarantine doesn’t necessarily help many of these families and I implore you to find alternative arrangements to help your voters, and as a matter of urgency!

Sandra Webb

Sandra Webb and her son.

Dear Premier,

As a desperate mother I have now come to the point in time where I will do anything to try to protect my child. My son was born in Bundaberg. He has lived on our cane farm north of Childers all his life. He was a bright and witty young man with a laid back approach to life. This year he chose to attend university. Unfortunately the course he wished to study was not offered in any Queensland universities and therefore he had to travel to Armidale in NSW, the only uni offering his chosen course. He has now been locked down and isolated for months. The once carefree casual laid back larrikin is now a lonely miserable shell of what he once was suffering from deep depression. The university is all but closed and most students have returned to their families in regional NSW to wait out this situation. He has not been afforded that privilege because despite being covid free and no risk to anyone you have locked him out. We have applied for an exemption only to have been denied. He has lost hope and motivation. The decisions you have made have extinguished his passion for learning and plunged him into a state of hopelessness. He NEEDS to come home. If you seriously want to keep Queenslanders safe, don’t just consider those that are in the state...bring home those that are not safe stranded in other states. As a parent, your job is to protect your kids but when I talk to my boy and hear the sadness in his voice I feel I have failed him. He is slipping away and I can’t help him. But you can. PLEASE.......bring him home.

Llewelyn Maree

Llewelyn Maree, her partner, and grandson that she's separated from.

Dear Premier,

We are new Queenslanders, having bought a home there some months ago. Very recently we sold our house in northern NSW. At the time there was no glimmer of an impending border closure until 2 weeks before settlement. We had a removalist booked and decided to go ahead and have them move our possessions to our new home. We are now at the mercy of friends for temporary accommodation. We would be happy to abide by all the rules to get over the border if it were at all possible. In order to follow the rules for entry we would have to find our way from Murwillumbah to Ballina airport, fly to Sydney, most likely have to stay overnight, leave our cars and trailer behind or freight them forward, quarantine 14 days, and then find our way to where our cars are dropped off. Calculated at $7000. We have had our first vaccinations and have been in the Tweed Shire with no detected Covid. There are MANY families in a similar position. If it weren’t for our family living in Queensland, I’d change my mind about relocating.

Stephen Tremain

Stephen Tremain and family.

Dear Premier,

I’ve not tried to enter Queensland (my home state) in the boot of a car, or charge the border riding a horse, or charter a superyacht to attend Rugby. I’ve followed the rules 100% of the way, until you cancelled my Quarantine Pass and closed the border to returning Queenslanders, with 1 hours notice.

For this I got fined $5500 for the ‘crime’ of leaving QLD to attend my Mother’s funeral in NSW.The NRL families get to come to Queensland, because there is a financial incentive. For the rest of us, we fend for ourselves. “The real test of character is how you treat someone who has no possibility of doing you any good.” - George Orwell

Lockie Rolfe

Dear Premier, due to the border closures, like many others, I have been negatively impacted. I am an electrician based in the Gold Coast whose company is based in Tweed Heads. Hence this, the border closure has made it near impossible to complete work like we used to.

My significant other also lives in Tweed Heads, so I haven’t been able to see her, which is extremely hard for both of us.

Tweed Heads hasn’t had a covid case in months. I believe a border bubble should be created again or the border line should be moved south of Tweed.”

Scott Dalgleish

Dear Premier,

In late June we took possession of our house in QLD.

We returned to Victoria for our kids to finalize schooling and bring the rest of our possessions, including 2 cars, Trailer, campervan, and two cats to our new home.

We were stopped at the QLD border and turned back despite having a border pass.

We’ve been Staying in Moree for 4 1/2 weeks. Camper Van (Roof leaks), 2 kids, 2 cats & kitty litter, which are not healthy conditions.

Our two kids are enrolled in QLD but are unable to access the curriculum as the school can’t help us remotely. 2 Failed exemptions, 1 pending.

Tried to do hotel quarantine (booked flights) rules changed and now can’t be done.

No financial support for us. No hope for end date. We are in limbo

Where is the Humanity? How can you not let us come home? How can you deny our kids an education? How can you let us live like this?

Where are our human rights?

This is a disgrace.

Maureen Klimczak

Dear Premier,

This comes from a family of seven with four kids under eleven, all aboriginal and with medical needs. Despite specialist letters and medical information and the offer to pay a private security company we couldn’t drive in. We were two weeks out of the red zone then you declared all of NSW red.

We sold our home and bought in QLD to give these kids a better life. Now we are stuck on the 21st floor with 4 kids all struggling . My husband has heart and lung issues but you don’t care. Our house here is empty, it’s costing extra for our container, our car relocation, the animal kennels in both states and the flights. It’s too much.

The money it cost was the kids schooling and pool money. The better life we choose to give these kids is being destroyed.

Let alone the mental anguish, our 32 yr old son lives with us and has mental health issues. We’ve had to leave him sleeping in a friend’s garage as he cannot do hotel quarantine. Every phone call I get I expect it to be the police telling me the worst.

Please put in place a home detention system for people like my son.

Jessy Stone

Dear Premier,

I am currently stranded in Byron Bay, away from my younger brother who may only have months to live. I am his only family and his only support. He is currently staying in my beach house, which I pay $1000 a week for. That I cannot access because you won’t let me into the state that I reside in. Everyday, that I am missing him is on you and if he dies, before I can get home to him. I will have to live with the horror and trauma of that, for the rest of my life. He is 29 years old, does he deserve to die alone? Do I deserve to lose him from a distance, in this horrible, horrible way because of this ridiculous rule that you made? A rule that you happily broke for 100 NRL players and their families? That you flew in from Covid infested Sydney? Over the 1500 homeless Queenslanders that you know are stranded, in a Covid free lockdown and border bubble. I have never felt so let down by my Premier, I have never been so disgusted or appalled by my elected government. Your conduct is unconscionable Anastasia and I hope that you are haunted for the rest of your life by your actions. You have brought utter devastation to thousands of innocent Queensland citizens. YOU ARE NOT MY PREMIER.

Emma Martin

Dear Premier,

I would like to reach out to you regarding the current ‘pause’ on hotel quarantine.

I wish to appeal to you to let Qlders have priority to return home first! My partner resigned from his job in Sydney, had his flights booked for the 30th and was ready to come home for good after 6 years of FIFO work. Due to the cost of quarantine, paying two rents and having enough money to endure weeks of unemployment due to time in quarantine, he was unable to return home sooner.

Who gives you the right to refuse OUR “right of entry” into our home state!

There are so many heartbreaking stories of families separated, stranded and unable to return home. Have some compassion and empathy for these people. Start being proactive and not reactive, why was there no booking system in the first place? We wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Tracy Sedman

Dear Premier,

Due to a psychological condition I am unable to undertake hotel quarantine. I am also unable to be a passenger in a car or take public transport. My application for quarantine exemption and to enter by car was supported by psychiatrist and psychologist reports. Hotel quarantine is a high risk to my mental health well being. It’s well documented in my reports that I do not interact with people due to severe anxiety disorders - I’m not about to start now! I am the perfect candidate for home quarantine. You know nothing about mental health! I applied on July 15 for travel on 18 August. I received a letter on 16 July advising it was too early to make a decision. Yet, despite me following up, I was ignored and never contacted until after my travel date - I was told no one could enter due to such high numbers in NSW yet WAGS (Some from my Sydney suburb) could enter. I am relocating back to my home state of QLD permanently to assist in caring for my 93 year old grandfather, my mother who has had two heart attacks and my step father who has had two strokes.

You keep harping on that you and your CHO grant exemptions for compassion. I’ve now requested to travel on 10 September but told my request will more than likely be denied again. Can you tell me what the hell is considered compassionate grounds for entry and/or quarantine exemption to enter Queensland for residents and those relocating and why is there no consistency?

Gwen Davis-Goff:

Dear Premier,

I am a 73 year old widow with limited means who has lived in Queensland for more than eighteen years. I’ve some health issues that I need to be in Queensland to get help for and have also taken responsibility for my health like being double vaccinated.

Four weeks ago I went to Canberra to attend a funeral of a close friend who had died very suddenly. I’ve been trying to get back to Queensland since. With no residence in the ACT I have been living at great cost in short term accommodation.

I just need to come home, please let me.

Sally Hardie

Dear Premier,

I took the time in my grief to bring the ashes of my husband back to his elderly parents in New Zealand.I then flew to Auckland to fly to my home in Qld

I am a permanent resident,live alone in Qld and now stuck in New Zealand with no support from my family during this horrific time. I’m alone with NO flights flying to Qld unless I play cricket or rugby or remarry (a player from) either. I’m totally abandoned here with no options open to me

How is that being “in this together”.

Ken Stebbins

Dear Premier,

Ten weeks ago my wife (age 68) and I (age 72) drove to Sydney from Brisbane as my wife’s father was dying. Less than two days after we arrived he died. Three hours later Sydney locked down and we weren’t allowed to leave.

We are at present temporarily accommodated in a house kindly lent to us, but pending its imminent sale. We soon will have nowhere to live. Meanwhile our home in Brisbane is empty.

We have lived in Qld for more than 31 years. We are both double vaccinated (AZ). We are not unwell, are willing to be tested, and/or quarantine at home – as already many COVID cases and their contacts do. But the Qld government refuses.

If we were allowed to return we would have to fly and go into paid quarantine, leaving our car here and us without transport once out of quarantine. All up (air fares, quarantine, and freight to get our car back) that would cost us in excess of $6,000.

Please help us.

Kathy Raspoort

Dear premier.

Escalating refugee crisis on

I am writing to implore you to allow your citizens to come home. The situation at the NSW/Qld border is something I never thought I would ever witness. Your decision to protect the few while abandoning the rest at the border is inhumane and callous. We are you constituents, your friends, your supporters, your responsibility. We are being denied our families, many of us our homeless and living in cars and makeshift camps. The absolute outrage is that most of us do have a home in Queensland and you have plunged us into homeless and this can never be forgiven. A safe home is a fundamental right of every Australian and you have taken that away from us. How dare you?

Many of us have terminal illnesses, many of us are on pensions, many of us suffer mental illnesses, many of us are children. All of us are HOMELESS through your actions, and many of are being denied the right to earn an income. How dare you? How can you do this to your own citizens?

The cause of this is NOT THE VIRUS, it is You!

The majority of us can return to our homes and more than willing to self-isolate. All those people with the virus during the current Indooroopilly outbreak were allowed to remain at home and self-isolate while infectious. We deserve the same rights as them. How dare you not afford us the same rights.

Stop demonising us without reason, we are Queenslanders. We all want to keep Queenslanders safe and all we ask is to be afforded the same rights as all Queenslanders.

We are real people, your decisions have real consequences for 1000s of Queenslanders. We are now homeless, many are no longer earning an income, we are suffering mentally, we are so disillusioned by your callous disregard for our wellbeing. The outcomes of your decision on us will be long lasting, the consequences lasting longer than the next media cycle, question time, election cycle, this pandemic.

Please let us come HOME.

Danger Hale

Dear Premier,

I write to you in desperation and anger. I don’t have fancy words or lawyer written letters to describe my position.

I sit hear constantly monitoring my emails in the hope a QLD boarder entry permit will appear. Nothing for days. Then I see and hear that the Indian Cricket Team has just arrived in QLD to start their 2 week quarantine. I have also heard that an Australian Film crew has started 2 week quarantine in QLD. In addition football teams have freedoms not offered to other Australians.

Giving priority to these organisations over normal everyday Australians clearly shows you and your Government are not placing the same level of importance on my job as those who have a higher level of public image. I need to enter QLD to provide a home and food for my family. Premier, you a directly responsible for denying me the right to care for my family.

Your decisions and directives are harmful and life changing. Sleepless nights are now the norm, stress is through the roof.

There is proven technology and solutions in place to allow home quarantine. Why is the QLD Government so behind in these solutions for quarantine? It’s a disgrace that you’re in such a position of power when you’re not adopting solutions that would resolve issues for thousands of Australians.

In summary, I request you extend the same level of access to QLD that you offer to Cricket Teams, Film Crews, Football Teams and other high profile organisations as the rest of us forgotten Australians.

Kind Regards,

Warren Mashford

Dear Premier

You have put me in such a ridiculous situation, I’m a QLDer and have been working FIFO Sydney for 5 years.

In July I retired and upon finishing my Sydney job I sold my Unit to head home permanently to QLD.

Because of your unfair heartless rules I’ve been stuck in NSW waiting to go home to enjoy retirement since 01/07/21.

I’m homeless in NSW and have my home in Redcliffe QLD, Yes I’m a QLDer all I want to do is go home and I’ll do anything you ask to let that happen.

OMG just let me go home I’ve had my 2 jabs, I’ve earned a happy retirement after 45 years of work.

I haven’t seen my Grand Daughters for 6 months and there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel on when my life will be normal and when I can enjoy my well earned retirement.

This is so upsetting, please look after your own (not interstate and overseas athletes and their families) us QLDers deserve it.

Ivor Harris

Dear Premier,

We just want to go home

Our journey began in Tasmania after we sold our property in May and decided to look northwards or our next home. Our furniture and household goods were left in storage in Launceston.

We applied to Queensland Health on the 4th August for permission to cross the border by road on the 30th, drive direct to our new home in Innes Park and quarantine there for 14 days. We are both fully vaccinated. It took Queensland Health 14 days to respond by which time you had closed the border.

Now we find ourselves feeling totally abandoned.

Queensland Health’s response to our application required us to drive back to Sydney, fly into Brisbane and do a two weeks hotel quarantine. Our car, trailer and dog would have to be freighted up separately. Ridiculously impractical, mentally and physically destroying and financially challenging. We are pensioners and cannot afford the $4,130 accommodation fee let alone the freighting and storage fees. I am a TPI Vietnam veteran with a DVA Gold Card and I suffer with PTSD and severe anxiety. Two weeks confinement in a hotel room would be impossible for me. Other states have permitted residents to return by road and quarantine in their homes. It’s not rocket science. It’s a simple system, easily controlled, easily monitored, does not require lots of resources and does not represent a risk to the rest of the community.

We are now virtually homeless, and we have no idea how long we will be in this situation.

You claim to be looking after Queenslanders by closing the border, but if you’re a Queenslander on the wrong side of the border, you obviously don’t count. Is a little bit of common sense, compassion, understanding and leadership from you too much to ask for?

Kat de Bouter

Dear Premier,

I am a returning QLD resident, assisting mid 70’s parents back to QLD. Vacating 18/10/2021,

travelling to their new purchase in QLD. With financial restraints, we’ll have no choice but to camp at Tweed Heads. With 3 dogs, 2 cats, 1 bird, 2 vehicles, 2 trailers, we can’t afford the added expenses of flying us & animals, pet boarding, vehicle transport & storage.

Mum is terminal, oxygen machine dependant, extremely frail, can’t be in an enclosed room or use

air conditioning for long periods, & requires natural ventilation. Flying is not an option. We are

vaccinated, live in a low risk area, will Covid test prior to entry. Please allow home quarantine for end of life care.

Georgia Tindall

Dear Premier,

We feel forgotten and disowned. At a single declaration from you, we have been dispossessed. We are seasonal workers who left home to manage a NSW Ski lodge, this has been our career since 2016. When you first closed the borders we couldn’t have physically driven to the border in time even if abandoning our guests and contract was an option. We can’t keep paying rent for our QLD home and the expenses of NSW homelessness for very much longer. We’ve been isolated for 15 days, there has not been a case anywhere near our LGA and if we have to fly back you will be putting our health at risk. We’d be leaving an area with no active cases to transit through Sydney to board a plane with people from LGA’s with active covid cases. We even had our first jab as soon as they allowed us. We understand that your goal is to keep QLD safe... but the thing is, we are QLD too. Please let us drive to HQ. QLD is our home. Please let us come home.

Letitia Cheyne

Dear Premier,

I am writing to ask for your assistance for my mother and cousin.

I would like to preface this email by adding that I have been a supporter of your office for many years.

My mother is currently in Tenterfield, in a caravan park in lockdown. Her home is in Caloundra. She and her husband are retirees, and left to go on a trip to the snow fields months ago before the major outbreak in NSW. They were stuck in the lockdown in Melbourne and then attempted to come home.

They were quite willing to wait the 14 days in the border zone, before they could come home and home-quarantine for a further 14 days and undergo 3 Covid tests during that period. I got this advice over the phone from the Qld Gov number. They had received a negative Covid test and were a few days out from applying for their border pass. Their exemption pass application was in the queue above 70 000.

Obviously, the situation has changed a couple of times with the border zone changing to red and now the closing down of hotel quarantine. They were considering driving to Sydney, storing their car and caravan and flying home to hotel quarantine. However, my mother was also concerned about catching Covid in Sydney when they are in a Covid-free area currently.

My cousin,is an 18 year-old girl. She is living in her car at the Tweed, unable to afford accommodation. Her home is in Labrador with her parents. She went down to the ski fields to work for the season. She was sent home early due to lack of tourists. She drove to the Tweed, and was also happy to stay in the border zone for the 14 days before home-quarantining for a further 14 days and undergoing the testing.

I understand your position to not allow inter-state residents to enter Queensland, but I don’t understand how you are not allowing people to return to their homes.

They are not alone at the border, there are many Queensland residents waiting there, with no idea when they can return home. Some cannot afford hotel-quarantine, or even accommodation, and are living in their vehicles or tents. I am quite concerned for my young cousin’s physical welfare as a young girl alone living in a car. I am also quite concerned for my mother’s mental welfare if she is to stay in Tenterfield in a caravan until November.

My mother also has a follow-up appointment at the Wesley Breast Clinic with her specialist in September, as a cancer survivor. She would have easily made it back in time for this, but will now likely miss this important appointment.

I believe you are misreading the sentiment of your people now.

Bruce Stewart

Our experience with Queensland border restrictions started last year when our daughter was working on a cattle station in Queensland and we were living and working in rural NSW. She was a first responder at a car accident involving the death of a coworker and friend. She was 20 at the time, this was a traumatic time for her with her first experience of death being her friend. Like many other parents the phone call from the police was the one you always dread, as you can imagine we wanted to be there for her to support her through this traumatic and life defining moment. We applied for a border pass we were denied, we applied for an exemption again were denied, our local member the deputy premier of NSW tried again we were denied. There were no COVID cases in rural NSW at the time. Our daughter was left without the support of her parents whilst she coped alone in remote Queensland dealing with one of the most traumatic times of her life. In July we sold our house in rural NSW and bought a house in rural Queensland, we moved into the ACT to complete the 2 week requirement of living in a non COVID hotspot. Days prior to flying to Queensland the ACT had a COVID case and were put into lockdown. We have been living in a hotel in the ACT for 5 weeks with our two cats and dog. Everything we own including our cars are at our property in Queensland. We are unable to fly our cats into Queensland due to their classification as an exotic breed. Due to this we applied of an exemption to drive to Queensland and self isolate at our property, this was denied, Rebecca from border control explained to us that there was a 100% rejection rate of exemption border passes, during our conversation with Rebecca when we tried to explain our problem with flying our pets into Queensland she told us to get rid of our animals, you can imagine how we felt when we were confronted with this callous flippant remark to be told to get rid of family members. When it became clear we would not qualify for home quarantine my partner and daughter applied for hotel quarantine, due to our pets we decided to do a staged approach to ensure we could care for our pets. Their application for hotel quarantine was denied, the border pass office wanted information on where we would be living following hotel quarantine, this was despite us including information on the property we had bought. The second application has been caught up with the suspension of hotel quarantine. We continue to live in a hotel in the ACT at a cost of $1,600 per week, we are quickly running out of money, this has impacted on our mental health and wellbeing we face financial ruin and will soon be living on the street, we do not even have cars to sleep in as they had been transported to Queensland.

Lucy Morson

Dear Premier,

As a new Qld resident, I am extremely stressed about my husband who is stranded in Moree, NSW, waiting to come back home into Qld so we can be reunited. We have both been fully vaccinated for 3 weeks.

We moved back to Qld to enable me to take up a transfer in my employment in Brisbane. With our house packed and ready for removal, my husband returned to Melbourne to supervise our furniture uplift where he had to entre 2 weeks isolation and Covid tested twice with clear results, followed by being caught in Victorian lockdown. He then left Melbourne, with a car fully packed with more household goods and deliberately avoided any Covid affected zones. During transit, entry rules to Queensland were tightened, removing relocation to Qld as a valid reason for entering the border zone. He arrived in Moree 2 weeks ago and has been waiting to come back into Queensland.

Please allow him to come home and be safe. We are willing to self isolate, to have regular Covid tests and we are both fully vaccinated and are not a threat to the community. Please help as we are both in our 60s and this is causing alot of stress and expense for us. It is causing further anxiety not knowing how long he will be stuck in limbo until we are reunited.

Tanya Coles

Every message from politicians, medical professionals and community leaders tells us that vaccination is the way out of this pandemic.

I am fully vaccinated as is my husband and two daughters and yet I am amongst the 1000s of Queensland residents who are locked out of their home state by your border restrictions.

Whilst I do understand your desire to protect Queensland from the outbreaks that are being experienced by both NSW and Victoria, I have issues with the way this is being implemented.

I have been fully vaccinated for 4 weeks and have been isolating in a remote area of Victoria that has never had a single Covid case. Unfortunately, those who make the decision on whether I can return, will not know this, as none of the questions on the Queensland Entry Pass application address anything other than the fact you have been in a hotspot.

I have a home, life and family in Queensland and just want to be allowed to return to those that I love, though I don’t feel that I should even have to ask permission.

I could easily quarantine in my own home to ease the stress on the hotel quarantine system. I am prepared to wear a locator to ensure compliance with the 14 day quarantine, get regular tests and anything else that might be required.

Please consider the plight of the Queensland Refugee. It’s not a political football or community popularity contest, it is our lives you are playing with.

Robyn Pefkos

Dear Premier,

I am a Queensland resident who owns her own home in Forest Lake and am a self funded retiree who is not in receipt of any government benefits.

After the death of my husband in June (having nursed him through this final months) I took a much needed break to visit family in Sydney to organise the scattering of my husbands ashes as per his final wishes. Unfortunately, the day after I arrived NSW went into lockdown.

I am currently residing in a LGA that has not been designated as a HOT SPOT by NSW Health, have had my first Astra vaccination with the second dose planned for 12th October. I have had two negative COVID tests (not because I’m sick, but because I am being safe) and have abided by the NSW Health regulations.

I would like to return to my home the same way I travelled to NSW which was by road, but I have been told that this is impossible for the foreseeable future, as all returning residents must do so by air not road and as per health guidelines I am required to enter hotel quarantine for a period of 14 days at my cost.

To return home via air (at a cost of $200) I will have to leave my only form of transport in Sydney and have it shipped to Brisbane at a cost of approx. $800 (less insurance), I have the cost of Hotel quarantine of $3,500 (as per the QLD health website) plus the additional costs of food (approx $200 for 14 days)- not provided by the quarantining hotel - because I suffer from Barretts Syndrome and am unable to eat a variety of foods. I will also have the additional cost of arranging transport from the designated hotel to my residence of $150.

If I could return by road it would reduce the cost of having to transport my vehicle and arrange alternative transportation once quarantine has ceased.

Please also note that I own a large 4 bedroom house with two separate living areas and bathrooms and I could safely quarantine in the residence which would save space for another returning resident.

I need to return home so I can finalise details pertaining to my husbands death and collect documents allowing me to complete by tax return.

Although I am lucky I have somewhere to stay and am not living out of my car, and I love my family dearly, but I need to come home!!!