Coronavirus: Qantas keeps jets on ground despite push for repatriation

A demand by the Morrison government for the states to boost hotel quarantine capacity won’t convince Qantas to reinstate international flights ­before July next year.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack’s demand for NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia to lift their weekly hotel quarantine capacity by 2000 people has been met with some resistance.

A demand by the Morrison government for the states to boost hotel quarantine capacity by 2000 a week won’t convince Qantas to reinstate international flights ­before July next year, as more than 3000 “vulnerable” Australians ­remain stranded overseas.

Deputy Prime Minister ­Michael McCormack ordered NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia to substantially increase their caps on hotel quarantine so that 6000 Australians could return home each week, up from 4000.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan declared the surprise request went against “the spirit of the national cabinet”, while NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said her state could manage the extra load but only if others also agreed to lift their numbers.

Under Mr McCormack’s proposal, which was detailed in a letter sent to the premiers and chief ministers ahead of the national cabinet meeting on Friday, the weekly cap for NSW, Queensland and Western Australia would increase by 500 respectively.

South Australia would take in an extra 360 weekly arrivals.

“Those letters are telling them that’s what they in fact need to do. I’ve had discussions with them, they know, they understand this needs to happen,” Mr McCormack, who is also Transport Minister, said.

“We want to increase (the cap) exponentially as we head towards Christmas and as the (corona­virus) case rates hopefully fall.”

The increased international passenger caps were welcomed by airlines, which have been limited to carrying between 30 and 75 people a flight on aircraft capable of seating 250.

Qantas remained of the opinion demand was still not sufficient to justify the operation of international flights other than special ­repatriation flights funded by the government.

Board of Airline Representatives of Australia executive director Barry Abrams said the notion of sending some travellers to places like the Gold Coast or Cairns to quarantine may not be practical for airlines.

 

More than 26,000 Australians have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as being overseas and wanting to return home.

About 3500 Australians registered with DFAT are considered vulnerable, including people in need of medical care or coming back for compassionate reasons.

Mr McGowan cautioned that boosting hotel quarantine ­capacity “run the risks of security-making mistakes” and introducing failures into the system, like what occurred in Victoria. “This is not in keeping with the spirit of the national cabinet,” he said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk echoed Anthony Albanese in urging the Morrison government to use the RAAF VIP jets but said she was “more than happy to look at taking more Australians” where there was capacity to do so.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said SA would increase its quarantine capacity to 800, of which 600 would be for international arrivals.

NSW has a weekly hotel quarantine cap of 2450, compared with Queensland’s cap of 500 and WA’s cap of 525.

Labor accused the Morrison government of “shirking its ­responsibilities for Australia’s borders, quarantine and assisting Australians in jeopardy”.

“There is still no plan to get stranded Australians home,” ­opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said.