Opinion: It has come as a shock to many Australian citizens that their rights to move within their own country, to travel overseas and to return home are not absolute
highlighting the arbitrary and murky nature of decisions about which Australians were being granted exemptions to leave the country during the pandemic. That data demonstrated that people travelling overseas for a compelling reason for at least three months made up the majority of approvals.
The department granted those exemptions on the understanding that people travelling overseas for an extended time would not seek to return to Australia any time soon. As Commissioner Michael Outram of the Australian Border Force explained, the department seeks “documentary evidence of the fact that they have got a placement, a job, accommodation and return ticket booked for more than three months time”.
These latest restrictions fall into that category and further highlight the need for transparency and checks on decisions that arbitrarily interfere with people’s rights and fundamental dignity, and which serve no clear public health purpose.Regina Jefferies is a Scientia PhD scholar and affiliate of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney. Jane McAdam is Scientia Professor of law and director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney.
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