Australians who live overseas will no longer be granted an automatic exemption from the ongoing international travel ban, meaning they will have to submit a "compelling reason" to return to their home.
Photo: AFP
The rule change quietly passed through federal Parliament this week, and has not been formally announced by the government.
It has taken many by surprise - with Australians abroad reconsidering whether they can come back, and some in Australia questioning if they will be allowed to return to the country they live in.
Under the current rules, Australians have to seek permission to leave the country. Common reasons to leave are for work, urgent medical reasons, compassionate reasons or travel in the national interest.
Permissions can also be granted for a "compelling reason", with no intention to return for three months or longer.
The federal government argued it had closed a loophole, saying Australians looking to leave the country to return to their homes overseas had had plenty of time to do so.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said it was also about cutting down on the number of people making short trips abroad.
"We've seen too many instances where people have left the country only for in relatively short order to put their names on the request list to come back into the country," he said.
"And that just puts additional pressure and additional difficulties in terms of managing the finite number of places that can safely be administered for returning Australians."
'Sudden change after sudden change'
Murray Bruce is currently quarantining in Howard Springs with his family, having returned from the UK for the first time since the pandemic began.
His family was offered spots on repatriation flights on compassionate grounds to visit sick relatives.
He said the change had left him confused as to whether they would be able to return to the UK as planned in a month's time.
While his wife and children have British passports, Murray does not.
"We have a home, our kids at schools, I have a job," he said.
"But now, it's not a guarantee that I can get home. I've got to ask permission really nicely."
The new rules require Murray to provide a "compelling reason" to leave.
Reasons like having a home and work abroad could be considered compelling, but he said there was no clear indication as to whether that was the case.
"The government doesn't give you any guidance on what a compelling reason is," he said.
"It's up to you to prove - we've got the burden of proving it, rather than having some clarity.
"Or automatic exemptions as it previously was, until recently."
There is increased pressure on spots in the federal quarantine system since recent changes to international arrival caps took effect.
Caps were halved from 14 July, following pressure from the Queensland, Victorian and West Australian governments.
Three thousand people a week are now moving into hotel quarantine, along with those arriving on repatriation flights into Howard Springs.
Murray Bruce argues if the government is frustrated with Australians moving in and out of the country, it could develop a bigger and more resilient quarantine system to manage it.
"They need to either expand the quarantine facilities, if this is the system they want to run with, or find a better plan to live with Covid as the rest of the world is doing."
Not all bothered by change
Sanjay Deshwal is a migration agent in Sydney's west who specialises in migration between India and Australia.
He said there was still enormous demand for spots on flights between India and Australia - but with few, if any, commercial flights, and tight capacity on repatriation flights, many had all but abandoned hope.
"People have resigned to the facts … they're not in that anxiety position now," he said.
"They know that when the situation becomes normal, they'll be allowed to travel."
Deshwal said given so few people could travel from India to Australia in the first place, tighter rules around people flying back to India was not much of a concern.
He said many were now pinning their hopes on a shift to home quarantine later this year.
"They're saying, let's wait for one or two months and we'll come at that time, when the quarantine cost is not there."
- ABC