#removethecap

[strandedaustralian]

Ed Sheeran arrives in Australia

The singer has flown to Australia to mourn the death of music legend Michael Gudinski.

So let me get this right, Ed Sheeran, a non-citizen celebrity, is able to enter and leave Australia to attend the funeral of a man he was not related to, but Stranded Australians are denied the ability to enter OR leave their country to not only attend the funerals of their family members but also see them in their final dying moments?

Appalling double standards yet again from the Australian Government. I also question why so many celebrities and sports people are able to enter Australia when #strandedaussies are a global humanitarian crisis, yet extremely few of these people have actually spoken up about and raised awareness of #strandedaussies. If you’re not calling out injustice and benefitting from the privilege of having the money to enter Australia (despite it’s so-called closed borders), then you’re complicit.

[strandedaustralian]

Returning Australians have to pay up to $15,000 these days to return to their home from overseas. And then $3000 for quarantine. And then $1400 for access to fresh air. These Australians have already been hit hard and many have lost their jobs due to COVID. How do they find the money to return to their own country (a basic human right), complete quarantine (mandatory), and get access to their basic human right of fresh air? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-19/hotel-quarantine-guests-charged-up-to-1400-extra-for-balcony/13067440

[strandedaustralian]

Australian Open 2021

I adore tennis and my home open, the Australian Open. I've attended 3 out of the 4 grandslams, attending the Aussie Open in 2018. I've also attended many of the smaller tournaments leading up to the grandslam in Australia's summer of tennis. So it absolutely breaks my heart to hear that this tournament will be going ahead and prioritising the entry of 1200 tennis players and their families and coaches over the tens of thousands of Australians who are stranded overseas and who have been attempting to return for the last 9 months. The French Open, and the US Open went ahead last year with some changes, however neither France, nor the US has placed arrival caps on international travellers entering the country. Wimbledon made the difficult decision to cancel the tournament as it was best for the community. This will be the first year in my life that I will not watch the Australian Open. I cannot bear to see the value of sports prioritised above the value of human life. Many onshore Australians I have tried to tell about the situations of stranded Aussies say that they ‘deserve’ the Open and it’s something fun that they need to take their mind off of a hard year. COVID has been extremely difficult for everyone. But stranded Australians do not have the luxury to take two weeks off from being homeless, broke, depressed, anxious, suicidal, and literally dying (#getjohnjobberhome). It is a privilege to be able to do so. If this angers you too, please consider reaching out to the following tennis associations as I have (even if you’re not Australian!). Australian Open: https://ausopen.com/contact-us

Sport and Recreation Victoria: [email protected]

Federal Minister of Sport: [email protected]

International Tennis Federation: [email protected]

Tennis Australia: https://www.tennis.com.au/about-tennis-australia/contacts

Also for email: [email protected]

Victorian Minister for Sport: [email protected]

Victorian Minister for Community Sport: [email protected]

Wimbledon (online form): https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/contact/index.html

Australian Open Organiser: @CraigTiley

[strandedaustralian]

Now all Emirates flights are cancelled to the three major airports in Australia as a result of the halving of the arrival caps by the Australian Government last week. Airlines cannot stay in the air if their planes are only letting on 15-30 people per flight.

[strandedaustralian]

When Australians are literally homeless, jobless, without any money overseas, these are the sorts of comments we get from Australians onshore. Really challenges myths of Australian ‘mateship’ and ‘having a fair go’.

[strandedaustralian]

Australia’s COVID response violates human rights

Are you aware of the current arrival caps on flights into Australia and the subsequent impacts on stranded overseas Australians due to the COVID crisis? When COVID hit, Australians overseas were told to “shelter in place”. Some remained overseas because they had family, stable jobs, housing or rental leases that they couldn’t just drop at a moment’s notice. No one knew at a time how long COVID would last, or how serious it would be. As Australians citizens, they knew it was their human right to be able to travel back into their own country when they needed to. But this right is now being violated by the Australian Government.

The world sees the Australian response to COVID as exemplary. But the only reason they can brag about their pedestal they’ve placed themselves on top of, is because they have built the pedestal on the backs of tens of thousands of Australian citizens they have abandoned overseas and placed in precarious positions. The Australian Government enforced arrival caps, which dictates how many people can enter the country each week. For airlines, the arrival caps have meant that planes are running at a reduced capacity and must prioritise first class passengers to stay afloat. For the individual, it means that they must either buy a first class ticket or risk not being able to travel into Australia. Until May 2021, airfares into Australia from around the world now cost up to 20x the standard price. There are now over 40 000 Australian citizens who have been stranded overseas for 9 months, unable to afford the first class airfare and having their economy or business class flights cancelled instead. There are dozens of Facebook support groups for these stranded Australians. Every day they talk about how they have lost their jobs and have no support from the country they are in, and no support from Australia. They talk about having to take our their life savings, start gofundme pages, or take out loans in order to afford a ticket home. They talk about how they get to the airport, after packing up their entire lives, only to be told at check in that their flight was just cancelled. They talk of how they are homeless. Their children miss school. They miss the birth of new children or miss the opportunity to say goodbye to a loved one who is dying. They talk about having suicidal thoughts. They talk about being unable to sleep and spending every waking minute in anxiety.

The assistance provided by the Australian Government is not only inadequate, but also now overwhelmed with the announcement that arrival caps will now be halved starting 15th of January. Australians back home show ignorance and intolerance, looking to biased media depictions of those stranded and join in the fear mongering. We are looking for media attention for our struggles, and for individuals and organisations to help join in the struggle to get us back home. We are hoping you can lend your voice to ours. Please sign the Amnesty International petition in my description. If you are an Australian, please sign the ALP petition to get us home.

[thejosh1980]

Travel Update # 18 - Day 8

Originally posted on Tuesday 15th September 2020

Tuesday… 1 week to go…

I actually started this update yesterday, however, I was distracted by phone calls during the day from friends and family, and didn't finishing writing until this afternoon.

It’s amazing how just a call from someone can brighten your day, especially from folks who call you out of the blue… Thank you everyone for your love, support and donations.

This morning the jet lag got to me again… I don’t have a problem with falling asleep, by 21:00 each evening I’m starting to nod off, but every 2nd morning I’m awake before dawn.

Alexannehas been getting into the TV series Kath and Kim!!! Also Spicks and Specks is a fav! She’s integrating nicely!! She also ate a meat pie and a custard tart. Things are good.

We did get a little snappy with each other the past couple of days. Well, maybe one could say I get a bit snappy. Thankfully, Alex has a lot of patience. But it is tough when you just can’t have any space… We are quite used to a different (pre-COVID) lifestyle - work and touring - let alone quarantine 24/7 in a 32m2 hotel room!!! A few couples I have spoken to, said they couldn’t imagine handling this situation well with their partner either, and in a way that makes me feel calmer. I feel OK with not feeling OK (sometimes).

In all fairness, it’s been super stressful for months. Putting it as simply as I can: Lockdown, packing up our lives to move half way around the world, delayed flights, limbo and now quarantine.

Honestly, stress can get to you really quickly and easily in here. Small things jump out at you. In the end we are trying to use humour to get us over the bad moments (did anyone see the jumping on the bed in my story yesterday??).

Yesterday I contacted the hotel (via the Quarantine FB group they have set up) to ask about using the park that is right outside the hotel. It’s fenced off, no one uses it. It would do many folks the world of good to get fresh air and a little exercise. About a quarter of the rooms have balconies, everyone else “enjoys" air con 24/7, with windows that don’t open.There are a lot of folks here in stuffy rooms with no direct sunlight or view.

The hotel responded that it’s a Government decision if we are allowed outside or not.

Tasmania and the Northern Territory offer time outside, they, like South Australia, have no COVID cases. NZ also allow those in quarantine to get out and about too. Why can’t SA??

Today I wrote to the State Health Minister giving him some feedback and requesting they consider allowing access to the park. If he responds I’ll let you know.

(By the way, our hotel is doing a fantastic job at trying to help us any way they can. They would love to let us out to play...)

We do our daily health checks on the phone too. It’s become a bit of a routine. It’s good to receive the call, but in my experience, I won’t ask for help even when I need it (I know it’s my fault). It seems like they’re just reading off a sheet, so it’s become fairly impersonal. However, the mental health nurse called me today, and that was good. He and I spoke like old friends, without too many “standard” questions.

Pulled out the ukulele yesterday and figured out a few songs I might be able to pull off for a live stream… Maybe Saturday I’ll do something on Facebook Live. What do you say?

I signed up to Apple TV to watch the Beastie Boys documentary, damn that’s good. Thanks for the tip Johannes!

The stranded Aussie’s situation is getting me down (like every other day for the past 2 months). We were one of them, we know what it’s like to feel that the government has forgotten you. I really hope that things change soon, because I hard today flights are being cancelled for Janaury!!! It’s terrible.

Honestly I don’t like watching the news or reading too many posts on FB… But I feel that I have to, to help support as many folks as I can… I don’t want to turn my back on my fellow countrymen (like the Government has) but at the same time, I get really down quickly when I read the horror stories… I’m trying to find a balance…

Today I spent quite bit of the morning working on a song I was asked to mix… Although I am keeping very busy, it was nice to have some work to do.

I try to structure my day to help keep a routine. Make sure I take care of myself (and Alex). It’s not difficult to fall into the trap of spending the day lounging about, unmotivated, uninterested… I keep busy, focused on a long list of things I would like to achieve.

Bonus: today is fresh linen/bedding day! Fresh sheets! Fresh towels (it’s the small things….)

Singapore flight landed today, just like us last week, a bus load of folks arrive at the hotel for their first night in quarantine. I hope they settle in safely and calmly. It's a long 14 days....

I’m wondering if these long posts are not really suitable for Facebook. Do you like reading them here? Would you prefer more short updates/photos instead of long posts??? Should I use a blog website ?? If so, does anyone have a suggestion for a better platform to write? I’ve never done one of these kind of journal things online before…

Many thanks for reading,

Josh

[n3jivibez]

Life is kind of like a camera, you gotta remove the cap to see what’s really behind the lens when it’s all said & done. - VIBEZ 📷🌴