The Morrison government’s rules on international travel are currently under investigation from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), who will assess the effectiveness of the design and management of international travel restrictions during COVID-19.

After originally proposing the audit in September last year and calling for submissions in January, the ANAO accepted submissions up until 27 June, with a final report due to be released in November this year.

The Human Rights Law Centre warned that the restrictions were unfairly separating families in its submission to the audit. It said that the restrictions have come at a huge cost to many people with family members and loved ones overseas who are barred from entering Australia indefinitely.  

Josephine Langbien, a senior lawyer with the Human Rights Law Centre, said that the Morrison government needed to address the strain the restrictions had caused Australian families.

“Policies that keep people cut off from their relatives and loved ones should never be the accepted norm. The Morrison government could make common-sense changes today that would give families a fairer chance of seeing each other again,” she said.

“More than 15 months on from the start of the pandemic, travel restrictions that were understood to be temporary measures remain in place. The strain on people separated from their loved ones cannot be underestimated and must be addressed.”

The ANAO will examine if Australia’s international travel restrictions were informed by “robust planning and policy advice” as well as if they have been co-ordinated and communicated effectively and how inwards and outwards travel exemptions have been managed. The entities selected for the audit are agriculture, foreign affairs and trade, health, home affairs, infrastructure and transport, and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

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However, the ANAO has stated that it “does not have a role in commenting on the merits of government policy but focuses on assessing the efficient and effective implementation of government programs”.

In its submission, the Human Rights Law Centre called for changes to the international travel restrictions to give families the greatest chance to be together, including extending automatic exemptions to more family members and to families of temporary visa holders, lowering the harsh threshold for compassionate exemptions, and giving humanitarian visa holders the same right to travel to Australia as other permanent residents.  

Following the recent announcement of Australia’s new four-phase COVID-19 plan, which halves the number of international arrivals from 14 July, Ms Langbien added that the government has not prioritised international travel effectively — allowing international business trips, yet not permitting those on temporary visas to reunite with family members at all.

“The reality is that international travel is still allowed. People are coming in and out every day for business, politics and events. But right now, the federal government’s complex web of restrictions and exemptions is leaving many families indefinitely separated,” she said.

“While wealthy investors and people on business trips are allowed to travel, many people cannot see their parents, their fiancé, their brother or sister if they are not Australian residents.  

“The decision to halve the number of international arrivals into Australia means that, now more than ever, the government must reassess how it prioritises international arrivals. It must focus on helping people reunite with their loved ones quickly and safely.”