Mermaid Beach mum, Vietnam vet struggle to stay afloat as caps on returning travellers remain
Anxiety levels of Australians stuck overseas are reaching fever pitch as Europe grapples with a resurgence in cases of COVID-19 and lockdowns loom. But it’s not the virus they fear …
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ANXIETY levels of Australians stuck overseas are reaching fever pitch, as Europe grapples with a resurgence in cases of COVID-19 and lockdowns loom.
But it’s not the virus they fear, it’s the growing apathy toward their plight and last-minute repatriation flight offers from the Department Foreign and Trade (DFAT) that’s causing them the most grief.
Here is 24 heartbreaking stories as told by Australian’s stuck overseas.
PAUL SAUNDERS, IN UNITED STATES
“I’m in the Chicago area and I couldn’t fly home earlier as I had an injury where I was unable to fly earlier in the year. I’m working on selling my home, but the flight prices are outrageous. This Federal Government is failing every one outside Australia.”
WANIAVUNYA BOMFIM-TONER, IN BRAZIL
“I came to Brazil in January I had to look and find a nursing home for my elderly mum. I’m her only surviving daughter and couldn’t leave her on her own any more. Four flights cancelled and now they want me to pay for a new one but no guarantee that I still can get back home to the Gold Coast to my husband and girls due to the caps. I’m an Aussie citizen.”
MARIE DUFFY, IN ST LUCIA
“I’m stuck in the Eastern Caribbean on the island of St Lucia with an injured back (cracked vertebrae) trying to work out the best way in which to get home, I have contacted DFAT and as yet no response.”
LISA KELAART-COURTNEY, IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
“The country was in complete lockdown so could not get out earlier even if I could get a flight, there were zero out. I booked first round business class just to try and reduce getting bumped, the flight got cancelled.
“Second round I went crazy and first class, just so I could get my daughter out safely and not witness her mother have a complete breakdown. Flight cancelled. Next flight booked in second week of December – already will be breaking the rules on staying but what the heck can be done.
“My next plan is get my daughter out unaccompanied to her beloved Pappa as at least I know she is safe and I can then wing it a little easier.
“I despair having to tell my daughter the truth that Australian rulers and the majority of Australians have turned their back on us and the Australian ANZAC spirit is nowhere to be seen.
“I also despair telling her that sportspeople, diplomats and their families, flash-in-the-pan celebrities can enter and we cannot.”
REBECCA DEGNIAN, IN SPAIN
“We feel we’re being punished by the government and selected communities for not returning earlier. It must be understood that the situation is not and black and you can’t always drop everything and leave, especially going against the advice of local governments.
“How were we to know that our government would turn on us?”
Ms Degnian, who grew up in Mermaid Beach, has so far lost more than $5500 trying to get her partner and 10-month baby home from Spain.
“We’ve been between living in a tent and couch surfing on living room floors since we were unable to board our flight in early September,” she said.
“I travelled solo around the world for five years, but not until now have I ever felt so alone and in need of a community and support network.
NIKKI STEVENS, IN CANADA
“We booked with Air Canada to Tokyo to Perth for September and was cancelled. We then booked with Cathay to Hong to Perth we were bumped and cancelled so many times. We have now purchased a ticket with Emirates business class in hopes that we will actually make it to Perth in November.
“We were also denied our G2G pass six times. This pass allows us to end WA and is controlled by the AFP. For weeks on end I wrote to the AFP trying to get them approved. The story was always the same. ‘You can enter Australia but you can’t come to WA’.
“I couldn’t understand, my family is from WA, my friends are there, that’s where I lived, and that is where I will be living with my family. We would be homeless in any other state.
“I finally received a response from the AFP, almost an apology stating that we are able to enter. Now I spend almost everyday checking my flight status and what flight are landing in WA in the hopes we can actually make it in November.”
DERIC SAMJI, IN PARIS
“Stuck since July as there are cancellation after cancellation due to the flight cap. Work contract and lease terminated same month so had to leave the UK to Paris so at least I have some support with family friends as the Aussie Consulate only propose a solution to apply for a financial loan which doesn’t guarantee a seat. I have been hearing even DFAT tickets are being cancelled.
‘My current airline have advised without any correspondence from the Fed Govt I have no flight until Feb 2021 due to the immense backlog.”
ANJ, IN UK
“My father in Australia is in a high risk group, but has found out recently at a health check, that his heart isn’t working properly. He needs to travel interstate to Melbourne for an operation, then will catch the train back home, because no one in Melbourne is allowed to drive him back to his town on the border. I want to come back home from the UK to look after him, especially if his condition is worse than originally expected.”
MICK MCCAULEY, IN HONG KONG
“I’m in HK with my daughter. I was working for an Australian company here for eight years and was made redundant in September. I can’t return yet as daughter has just started HSC exams. We are trying to get to Brisbane but only way there is via Singapore in January. I believe a lot of these tickets get bumped so fingers crossed we don’t.”
KAREN STOLLZNOW, IN UNITED STATES
“We’ve been living in Denver, Colorado. My father just passed in Sydney, so we sold our house here and bought a place on the Gold Coast. We have a month to get out. We also have to be home by early next year for my husband’s migrant visa, and so my son can start kindergarten. We’ve had three flights cancelled, the costs of which are still stuck in dispute on my credit card.”
ANDREW JOHNNY JOSEPH, IN TAIWAN
’Was living and working in Bangkok, came to Taipei to renew my Thai visa as I am required every 90 days. That was 29th February. Then the pandemic hit and we got locked out of Thailand.
“I am from Melbourne and now basically the two countries I call home have locked me out. The Taiwanese Government have extended my visa from a 90-day tourist visa to now 270-day compassionate visa.
“We are now watching and waiting for Melbourne to open and accept more citizen stranded abroad. I have had no income for seven months. Just requested access to my super to help pay for rental accommodation in Taiwan. I’m healthy but mentally exhausted.”
MONICA RODRIGUES SWEENEY, IN SAO PAULO
“I’ve been stuck in the Amazon for seven months, and I’m in Sao Paulo for a flight scheduled on the 26th October with Qatar, which I hope it goes ahead at this time. I came before the travel ban and had a flight with Qantas to come back in April.
“That was cancelled and had to buy a Qatar ticket, booked to the 5th of July after a long hassle, closed borders and lockdowns in Brazil. Got bumped after two local flights to get to Sao Paulo to fly to Sydney via Doha.
“I had my boarding pass in hands up to Sydney, luggage in the plane, to be told I couldn’t fly and they sent me back to the Amazon, 21 hours later. All efforts was done for me to cancel this bumped ticket, and I had to fight hard to get a seat in the “next” available flight for me, which was booked to the 26/10.
“Hoping I make it home this time to my husband, my kids, my grandson, my business, my life.”
GRAEME ARCHER IN THE UK
Vietnam Veteran based in the UK, Mr Archer was one of hundreds of Australian citizens contacted by DFAT’s consular team on October 20 with the offer of a $2559 Qantas flight from Heathrow on October 22 to the Howard Springs facility in the Northern Territory.
“I can’t travel until I have two more operations which have resulted from problems with my heart operation prior to COVID. Lots of others also got this ‘mercy’ charter flight in two days time.
“I have sent off an email to DFAT and other government departments asking for a list of all flights that they say they have organised from now until the end March so we can plan our evacuation around what is most suitable flights for each of us to plan ahead. Stony silence.
“None of us can just work with this sort of incompetence.
“Please help us fight this insanity.”
NEETA SALARIA, IN INDIA
“I visit my parents every year to see them I take time off from my busy family business and part time job. Last November mum got diagnosed with cancer I came in February to help her and dad with chemo but mum’s condition deteriorated and mum passed away in April.
“Since March, India has been in lockdown and it was curfew-style lockdown. India cancelled all commercial flights which is still not open till now. I have three cancelled tickets, one from Malaysian airlines one Qatar and one recent one which Etihad air.
“All cancelled because of Australian Government put caps on arriving passengers. Thousands of Australians stranded in India for me it’s been nine months I m separated from my husband and sons.”
BIANCA SMITH-MOIR, IN UK
“I live in the UK. Dad had quite a severe stroke last year but I was too heavily pregnant to fly. I swore I’d go as soon as I could manage it after the baby arrived, but just as I was making plans to go the country started locking down.
“I followed DFAT’s recommendation to stay put if you were safe and didn’t need to return in the near future. I hoped that things would get better and I could travel later in the year.
“My maternity leave has nearly finished now, I still haven’t seen dad since the stroke, and nobody in my family has met my son. I’m trying to make it home before I go back to work and just hoping I can manage it.”
JM MAXWELL, IN DUBAI
“We have pets to also relocate. We can’t plan co-ordinate or book flights at all plus at the same time organise house furniture etc to be shipped! We can’t risk our pets being stranded.
“Pet relocation is huge problem as there is now only one animal quarantine station open which is in Melbourne and that is now overloaded, so pets can’t get in to February.
“Those that left before them now have had their pets stranded in countries all around the world. There are also no flights to get our pets from Melbourne then on to Perth. Situation is impossible to plan.”
VICTORIA SLATER, IN UNITED STATES
“We’re in San Diego and missed my father-in-law’s passing by one day after begging the Victorian Government to leave. Bumped three times so far to return home. My visa will expire in eight days.”
RYAN HODSON, VETERAN IN PHILIPPINES
“Many times I wasn’t sure if I’ll get back home and had to deal with accepting dying in another country. It’s just horrible your own country would lock you out in a pandemic. I think it scars you on some deep level. It’s like one of those zombie apocalypse movies.
“It makes us sick they are charging $3000 per person in five-star hotels with two-star food. Some are logging claims to human rights.
“The issue will have to be pushed and shoved grudgingly to get us poor wounded souls back to our homeland. I told you so doesn’t cut it. Duty of care abandoned. Duty first is what I was taught.”
SALLY THORNTON, IN UK
“The frustrating thing is you can no longer book a flight, pay for your flight, be confirmed and expect to fly because government caps (not only caps on quarantine numbers, but caps on the amount of people per plane) mean you can be bumped off, anytime up until you are standing at the check-in desk.
“Then, after you are bumped you go to the back of the queue. The next available flight is not for another few months and you start the process again. You have to suddenly find a way to survive for months, even though you gave up jobs, secure housing, shipped your possessions, assuming that when you book and pay for a flight your own government would let you come home.
“No Australians here in the UK want a free ride, we just want to be able to book and pay for a flight and be able to fly home on that flight.”
MA MOMIST, IN UNITED STATES
“The government is deliberately sidestepping the issue which is the cap. I can’t add my newborn on to my flight because the flight is ‘full’. The newborn is counted into the government’s stupid cap even though she doesn’t need a ‘seat’ and obviously won’t need an extra quarantine room.
“We’re essentially forced to become stateless. All we’re needing is the cap to be removed or go up significantly. Now instead of dealing with the problem, the cap, the government is wanting to pull another sleight of hand with the ‘repatriation flights’.
“But the plans only intends to bring back 5000 people in six months. There are over 100,000 stranded overseas, according to airlines who have access to ticketing info.
“An additional slap in the face is how the government is working hard to bring in foreigners eg via New Zealand, students, fruit pickers etc.”
BENTON LOBLEY, IN CANADA
“My flight with Air Canada from Vancouver to Brisbane on the 26th October was cancelled. Have been trying to find something since that won’t cost me an arm and a leg to get home.
“I don’t want to risk either being bumped off or cancelled again due to prioritisation of business/first class tickets and adhering to the international cap on returning travellers trying to get back home to Australia.
“My working holiday visa expires on November 2. I have applied for a visitor visa so I don’t lose my legal status here in Canada but won’t be able to work after the visa expires.”
STEWART BACHE, IN THAILAND
“The 33,000 (stuck overseas) represents the people registered with DFAT, the actual number is over 100,000, the biggest restrictions are the caps.
“DFAT advised in March if you have shelter and are secure then stay in place as travel (at that time the info has since changed) could be hazardous. Those that stayed in place now have work/education contracts ending – no income and for many no visa.
“Some countries have advised to leave their countries by end of visa or risk being held in immigration detention, like Thailand.
“The repat flights are good however it is just government optics it does little to solve the problem, the problem is caps, and home quarantine would solve every issue.
“Those of us abroad are still paying tax yet have no access to financial or other support as they are not on Australian soil and have been directed to government agencies or charities in the countries they are in.
“Government agencies have given advice to go to homeless shelters, start GoFundMe pages, borrow or put on credit cards.”
MICHELLE CAIRNCROSS, IN KENYA
“My family decided last year that we would move back to Australia this year in August.
I resigned from my job last November to take effect on 31st August this year. At first we had planned to head back in July, when school finishes here in Kenya. My 11-year-old son was then given the opportunity to go on a cricket tour to South Africa in August. Of course, this didn’t take place, but our booking, which was done on the 3rd March, 2020, took that into consideration.
“It was my intention to have my 13 and 11-year-old boys back in Australia for 4th term so that they could get used to the system, meet some friends, get them into cricket clubs. They have been doing online learning since April.
“Both of them would benefit greatly from being in physical school. I have asked for the distance education papers from Queensland to help me guide them through the start of their Australian education.
“I am a primary school teacher with 27 years of experience. I’m wanting to be back to look for jobs for January. But I’m not out of work and my visa has already been extended.
“Our flight on the 26th of August was cancelled, well the flight went, but we were bumped off it. Our next flight is booked and confirmed for 6th December. I have my fingers crossed that this will take place so that we can be home for Christmas.”
TOM MCNAUGHT, IN SWEDEN
“My wife and I applied back in April to visit our daughter in Sweden. She was having a baby mid-July. Our first application didn’t have enough details so we fixed all of the concerns and reapplied about July 5. We had booked tickets to depart Australia July 25 and depart Sweden August 19.
“Our exemption to travel was granted on July 20, the day after our grandson was born. We had pretty much given up and had been looking into other things to do, as we had to take our booked holidays from work. Anyway, we got the email from Border Force stating we could go ahead.
“We thought because we had our departure and arrival locked in, that we wouldn’t be getting bumped. We thought that was only happening to people who hadn’t got permission yet from Border Force (naive, yes, but we honestly thought we were going to be fine).
“We had been in contact with the airline on August 11 and all systems were go. We arrived at the airport check-in to find that our tickets had been cancelled. We were gobsmacked, no notification at all. Anyway, after looking further into, we got a letter explaining that we should have been notified, somehow it was overlooked.
“We don’t blame the airlines at all, in fact with the stupid caps on incoming Australians to their own country, we’re lucky airlines are still willing to fly to Australia. I certainly don’t blame them for trying to sell out all of their business class seats before any economy seats are filled to meet the caps. Many airlines can only carry 30 to 50 passengers, not because of social distancing, but because of the caps into Australia.
“When we finally realised that we had little to no options, we rebooked on the next available flight which is meant to be this Friday, October 23. However, at the time of the booking, the airline made it very clear that if the ban/caps weren’t lifted, there would be very little chance of us flying on that date.
“I believe it could be well into January before we get to fly.”
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