Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I table a document in the form of a nonconforming petition signed by 11,755 people, calling for 457 and 482 skilled visa holders who are stranded abroad as a result of COVID-19 travel bans to be allowed to return to their jobs, homes and families in Australia. I seek leave to make a one-minute statement.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are thousands of temporary visa holders who are currently stranded overseas as a result of the travel bans put in place by the Commonwealth government. In many cases, these people live in Australia, they work in Australia and they pay taxes in Australia. Some are separated from their families who are currently in Australia, while the visa holders are stranded overseas. The government does have a process in place for exemptions from the travel bans to be granted, upon application, and I acknowledge that some visa holders have been granted an exemption and therefore allowed back into the country. But there are no criteria against which applications for exemptions are assessed—and many, many people simply do not understand why they have been banned from returning. At a minimum, people with families and jobs and homes in this country should be allowed back in. (Time expired)