23 November 2020

Mr Philip Gaetjens
Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Mr Simon Atkinson
Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Ms Frances Adamson
Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Dr Brendan Murphy
Secretary, Department of Health

Mr Mike Pezzullo
Secretary, Department of Home Affairs

Mr Michael Outram,
Commissioner, Australian Border Force

Sent via email

Dear Secretaries and Commissioner Outram

On behalf of Labor Senators from the COVID-19 Select Committee, thank you for making either
yourselves and/or your officers available for this Thursday’s important hearing into the current status of
Stranded Australians.

We are focussed on understanding how the Government will delivery on the Prime Minister’s promise to
bring all the Stranded Australians home by Christmas as he said he would on 18 September.

I would hope that those who are looking to come home, that we'd be able to do that within
months and I would hope that we can get as many people home, if not all of them by Christmas.
Scott Morrison, Press Conference, 18 September 2020

As you are aware, five agencies are appearing simultaneously for just two hours. To ensure we best use
the Committee’s time, Labor Senators believe we will not have time for witness to read pre-prepared
opening statements.

However, we would encourage each of you to send a written opening statement to the Committee
Secretariat by 10:00am, Thursday 26 November 2020.

These opening statements could then be circulated to Committee members, with the intention of tabling
the opening statements at the start of hearing at 10:00am, subject to Committee’s agreement.

Given at times the statistics on this topic have been difficult to confirm, we have collated key statistics
based on prior statements from the Government or officials, and we are providing these to you in this
letter to indicate our current understanding of the challenges facing Stranded Australians wanting to
return home.

Stranded Australians statistics

• As of 13 November, there were 35,637 Stranded Australians overseas.
• This represents a 37% increase (or 9,637 people), since 18 September when the Prime Minister
promised all stranded Australians would be home by Christmas.
• This also represent an 89% increase (or 16,837 people), since 20 August when the first substantive
public figures were released.
• Approximately 10,900 Stranded Australians have returned since 18 September 2020.

Channels for Australians to return to Australia

• International air passenger caps are due to stay in place until 31 January 2021.
• The current caps and incoming flight arrangements facilitate 6,175 passengers into Australia and into
quarantine per week, based on the below information:

NSW 3,000 per week into Sydney

NT 250 per week (500/fortnight) into Howard Springs.
SA 600 per week into Adelaide
Qld 1,300 per week into Brisbane (includes 300 vulnerable people p/wk)
WA 1,025 per week into Perth
Total 6,175 (includes Qld 300 vulnerable)

• In addition, we understand that 810 passengers will arrive and enter quarantine in ACT and
Tasmania between 13 November and Christmas.
• Melbourne will restart accepting international passengers from 7 December, and will accept 1,120
passengers per week who require quarantine.
• This will lift Australia’s cap to 7,295 (including Queensland surge and Howard Springs).
• Based on these current numbers, there is capacity for 26,630 passengers to arrive into Australia and
complete their quarantine on or before Christmas Day (i.e. to leave quarantine on or before
Christmas Day, Stranded Australians will have to arrive into Australia by 11 December).

The ability of Australian Government agencies to deliver on the Prime Minister’s promise to bring
Australians home by Christmas
We note that:
• Until 14 November, international flight caps were imposed on a daily basis, resulting in a large
number of quarantine places going to waste because of inflexibility in the international flight caps
imposed and administered by the Australian Government.
• The Federal Government has not ‘tested the market’ to see if there are public health professionals
that the Federal Government could engage to operate its own quarantine facilities to boost
quarantine capacity and bring Stranded Australians home sooner. (Refer to COVID Select
Committee QON #485.)
• When asked, agencies could not identify a policy, procedure or process that prioritises the return of
Stranded Australians over other passengers on commercial flights that could achieve the Prime
Minister’s Christmas promise. (Refer to COVID Select Committee QON #486, 477, 481, 492, 490
and 546.)
• The Australian Government has approved 19,211 visa holders to enter Australia as at 17 September
at the expense of Stranded Australians. While many of these entries were warranted as they

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 included critical workers to fight the pandemic, the Government has also allowed Business
Innovation and Investment visa holders to enter Australia ahead of Stranded Australians (Home
Affairs Estimates 19/10/20).
• The Australian Government is not actively monitoring the travel plans of Australians who leave
Australia with the permission of the Australian Border Force Commissioner and when they plan to
return home. Without this active monitoring, the Government cannot know if it is making the plight of
Stranded Australians worse by adding more Australians to the queue of people who want to come
home. (Refer to COVID Select Committee QON #482.)
• Despite prohibitive flight costs being raised as a consistent issue for Stranded Australians, the
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications is not keeping
track of these costs, and has no plan to do so (Refer to COVID Select Committee QON #492).

When preparing your opening statements, in addition to presenting any information you feel relevant to
assist the Committee, I invite you to indicate if our understanding of the facts presented above need
correcting in any way.

We look forward to your agency’s appearance on Thursday to discuss the urgent priority of bringing our
Stranded Australians home.

Kind regards

Kristina Keneally
Deputy Labor Leader in the Senate
Shadow Minister for Home Affairs
Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Senator for New South Wales