MP Luke Gosling blasts Australia’s international arrivals cap, says the NT should be used to bring home more Aussies stranded overseas

LABOR MP Luke Gosling has slammed the federal government for not raising the cap on international arrivals, saying the Territory could and should be used to repatriate Australians home quicker.

• Darwin grandma stranded overseas for six months during pandemic

LABOR MP Luke Gosling has slammed the federal government for not raising the cap on international arrivals, saying the Territory could and should be used to repatriate Australians home quicker.

International arrival caps are currently in place across Australia.

In Darwin and Canberra there are passenger limits on each flight to be discussed with jurisdictions on a case-by-case basis.

International flights to Melbourne are suspended.

Sydney has a limit of 350 passenger arrivals per day.

Perth has a limit of 525 passenger arrivals per week, while Brisbane and Adelaide have limits of 500 passengers per week.

Australian evacuees from Wuhan, China arrive at Howard Springs’ Maingurr-Ma Camp by bus on February 9, after flying into Darwin on a repatriation flight. Picture: Che Chorley

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Mr Gosling said the NT was equipped to accommodate more arrivals, and urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to lift the cap across all states and territories.

“The Prime Minister should be doing something about the 25,000 Australians, including many Territorians, who are currently stranded overseas,” he said.

“They want to come home and they cannot. They cannot because Scott Morrison announced a cap on international arrivals nine weeks ago and refuses to lift it, even though the NT can take more arrivals.

Labor MP Luke Gosling. Picture: Che Chorley

“We have the capacity to take more here and the NT government has been clear that with good co-ordination on the timing of arriving aircraft, we could be helping to bring more Australians home quicker.”

The Territory has been COVID-free for more than 28 days, with the last two cases returning negative results on August 14.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the Territory would remain vigilant against COVID-19.

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“Our hard border controls are still there and will stay there for a long time. We have cops on borders and in airports, forced quarantine for hot spots, and tough consequences for rule-breakers,” he said.

“We will keep doing whatever it takes to stay the safest place in Australia.”