The Morrison Government should help Australians get home from India

The Human Rights Law Centre has called on the Morrison Government to abandon its travel bans and facilitate the safe return home of Australians in India as COVID-19 rates escalate in the country. 

Executive Director, Hugh de Kretser said, “Instead of threatening Australians with jail if they return home, the Morrison Government should be helping them. This includes ensuring access to flights and to safe and effective quarantine systems.” 

In response to rising rates of COVID-19 in India, the Australian Government has banned all flights from India and issued a direction which threatens people with up to 5 years jail and $66,000 fines if they manage to fly to Australia after being in India in the past 14 days. 

“Many Australians are in difficulty overseas as the pandemic continues and have been prevented from getting home by the flight limits already imposed by the Australian Government. The Australian Government should support them, not abandon and criminalise them at the worst possible time.” 

“The Australian Government has created an unfair system for Australians overseas trying to get home. On the one hand, businesspeople, celebrities, sports people and the rich can travel here, while ordinary Australians face huge barriers.” 

“The Australian Government has promised under international human rights law not to arbitrarily prevent Australians from returning home, but it is doing just that. The Government should abandon these travel bans and offences and get people home to loved ones.” 

Both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognise the right of people to leave and return to their own country. But these rights have not been protected in Australian law. 

“This sorry episode highlights the lack of human rights protections in Australian law. Australia does not have a national Charter of Human Rights to ensure that values like freedom, equality, dignity and respect guide government action. This must change.” 


IMAGE: Phoenix500 at English Wikipedia, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons


Media contact:

Michelle Bennett, Engagement Director: 0419 100 519

MichelleBennettDemocratic Freedoms, Human Rights Law & Institutions, Covid19