Border ban backflip

THE Federal Government has once again amended the legislation governing Australia’s prohibition on overseas travel, with the recent change removing an automatic exemption for people who are normally resident overseas (TD 05 Aug) repealed overnight.

Last week’s controversial move by Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to close the border even more tightly had aimed to reduce pressure on Australia’s quarantine capacity, with some passengers allegedly exploiting the loophole to travel frequently between Australia and their country of residence.

The measure actually came into effect on Wed this week, but was apparently in place for just 48 hours, with the Federal Register of Legislation now noting that the “item was repealed on 12 Aug 2021 and is no longer in force”.