Pieter den Heten has been stuck in Amsterdam for six months, but it was an 'eye-opening' conversation with a close friend that pushed him to speak out on behalf of Australians stranded overseas during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dutch-Australian Pieter den Heten has been stranded in Amsterdam for six months, unemployed and separated from his partner — but it was an "eye-opening" conversation with a close friend that pushed him to become an advocate for Australians who can't get home.
A quick scroll through social media feeds reveals some of the negative and even hostile attitudes towards Australians who have found themselves caught overseas amid the coronavirus pandemic. "Instead of sitting back and being a keyboard warrior I thought, 'Why not do something a bit more tangible with the skills I have?'"Pieter den Heten, who is stranded in Amsterdam, created a website to show the extent of the problem.Thousands of Australians remain overseas amid the pandemic, stranded for a variety of reasons including the cap on international arrivals and a scarcity of tickets, soaring ticket prices and the cost of mandatory quarantine.
Stranded Australians can "drop a pin" on the map, upload a photograph and share their experience on the website.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Exploitative and despicable': Government MP attacks airlines, international travel capsLiberal MP Tim Wilson says airlines are 'gouging' Australians stranded overseas and trying to return home.
Read more »
Could the International Criminal Court sit in Asia for the first time?Two Australian lawyers acting on behalf of Rohingya refugees are pushing to have the International Criminal Court sit in Asia for the first time.
Read more »
‘She stabbed me in the back’: Melania’s ex-friend speaksStephanie Winston Wolkoff, the former friend of US First Lady Melania Trump who has written an unflattering tell-all book about the Trump family, gave an explosive interview on US television overnight.
Read more »
An economy like 2016 as sales and wages collapseThe Australian economy could shrink to where it was when Malcolm Turnbull narrowly won the 2016 election, with new figures revealing sales across almost every industry have collapsed, dragging down incomes | swrighteconomy
Read more »
China launches second trade probe into Australian wine importsChina's Commerce Ministry confirms another investigation into Australian wine, announcing a one year anti-subsidy probe that will apply to wine in containers 2 litres or less.
Read more »
Toughest time in banking for 30 years: Macquarie bossMacquarie Group executive Greg Ward says front-line bank staff face the toughest period in decades, as they prepare to deal with struggling customers who cannot resume their mortgage repayments after an emergency pause | clancyyeates
Read more »