Australian quarantine equality?

[UFO]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Fair enough, given that you don't tell us just where you are one can only assume that you are not an Australian resident, I for one trust that your current place of residence is somewhat more to your convivial to your wants and wishes.
I however am accepting of the restrictions placed on us at this time, I don't particularly like it but I am accepting of it AT THIS TIME. The future may well change this.

Australia has been a nanny police state well before covid, things are just ramped up a lot more now and I think they will not be letting go easily of those new found powers.

[ausnp84]

Originally Posted by daletournier

My application went in prior to theres, therefore I dont accept a processing time issue.

QLD Health has been dealing with over 21,000 requests since June (according to their site) and I’m sure like a lot of the world, are running on reduced staff.

It’s not an equality issue - they haven’t rejected your submission. It’s a paperwork issue. Should they have dealt with your submission before the other boat's? Yes probably. Does the boat (who received their exemption) have mitigating factors as to why they were prioritised? Maybe. I think the lesson here for anyone else preparing to transit to Aus is to wait until an exemption is received - pretty much the same as waiting for a visa prior to travelling pre-Covid - or face quarantine / being returned to their home country.

I know you feel hard done by and have a firm opinion you’re being mistreated and ripped off so I’ll leave it there. Like I said earlier though, AQIS aren't exactly known for changing their minds once they've made a decision.

N

[daletournier]

You have little understanding. I have been involved in the process for mths, I am in contact via phone with maritime liaison officers regularly, that work in the next office.

No one is getting excemptions prior to leaving, no one. I'm in personal communication with the OCC and John Hebrow that have been lobbying for the boats for mths.

I would suggest I have a greater understanding of what's happening here than you do. There are a number of other examples I could give. The authorities at this end are frustrated, exact words "welcome to our disaster ".

Are they personally targeting me or the other boat? of course not, but this does not make the inconsistency or inequality ok, not to mention that some are paying thousands of dollars and others aren't.

I appreciate that you are trying to explain what's happening but you dont know, you are making assumptions based on a fraction of the information that I have.

[Wotname]

Do you think they will chuck you application in the bin now that you have arrived or is there some chance it will still be processed and you get to go 'home'?

[Bruce Morley]

Hello to the CF, From my knowledge of yachts entering Australia at the privately owned of Newcastle NSW is that your (daletourier) case is not unusual. You should not feel that you were targeted for a special service. In recent weeks 2 yachts with crews that are residents of Australia have arrived in Newcastle. Both yachts and crew were given clarence from NZ and clearence to enter Australia. The crew of the first yacht took 13 days on their passage from Opua and on arrival were met with both Border Force and NSW police vessels. After clearence formalities were completed the crew were driven to Sydney by NSW police to a managed quarantine facility for 14 days.
The second yacht to arrive in Newcastle from Opua took 14 days to complete their passage and again met by Border Force and NSW Police vessels on arrival at the harbour entrance. After the usual clearence formalities were allowed to leave their yacht with no further isolation requirements

Both yacht crews were subject to health checks and covid 19 tests (all negative ) and have had follow up checks.

Newcastle has 10 to 12 large coal bulk freight ship movements per day so I presume the Border Force and the various health departments are well versed in the proceedure for ships entering an Australian port but as I have outlined the proceedures vary from day to day without any explanation as to why the variation happens.

Whilst you may well believe you have had some special treatment you are not alone and as the pandemic evolves the knowledge of how to deal with the pandemic will evolve. As one of the crew entering Newcastle said just sit back and enjoy it as it will be over before you come to the end of the dinner menu.

[nfbr]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Fair enough, given that you don't tell us just where you are one can only assume that you are not an Australian resident, I for one trust that your current place of residence is somewhat more to your convivial to your wants and wishes.
I however am accepting of the restrictions placed on us at this time, I don't particularly like it but I am accepting of it AT THIS TIME. The future may well change this.

Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Austria, Martinique, Montenegro etc
All more relaxed (ok- maybe not Austria)
And not just covid. Everything. Also german autobahns & "every k over is a killer"!

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morley

Hello to the CF, From my knowledge of yachts entering Australia at the privately owned of Newcastle NSW is that your (daletourier) case is not unusual. You should not feel that you were targeted for a special service. In recent weeks 2 yachts with crews that are residents of Australia have arrived in Newcastle. Both yachts and crew were given clarence from NZ and clearence to enter Australia. The crew of the first yacht took 13 days on their passage from Opua and on arrival were met with both Border Force and NSW police vessels. After clearence formalities were completed the crew were driven to Sydney by NSW police to a managed quarantine facility for 14 days.
The second yacht to arrive in Newcastle from Opua took 14 days to complete their passage and again met by Border Force and NSW Police vessels on arrival at the harbour entrance. After the usual clearence formalities were allowed to leave their yacht with no further isolation requirements

Both yacht crews were subject to health checks and covid 19 tests (all negative ) and have had follow up checks.

Newcastle has 10 to 12 large coal bulk freight ship movements per day so I presume the Border Force and the various health departments are well versed in the proceedure for ships entering an Australian port but as I have outlined the proceedures vary from day to day without any explanation as to why the variation happens.

Whilst you may well believe you have had some special treatment you are not alone and as the pandemic evolves the knowledge of how to deal with the pandemic will evolve. As one of the crew entering Newcastle said just sit back and enjoy it as it will be over before you come to the end of the dinner menu.

Yep, theres another example.

In regards to just sit back and enjoy it, I'm not sure how anyone can enjoy having two weeks of life and $3700 taken from them when others in exactly the same situation get a free pass.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by daletournier

What about the fact I have committed no crime and I have no criminal record yet I'm being held against my will and have two police officers standing at my door? Even the negative covid result means nothing.

Best bet is to stay reasonable and appeal to logic. Even then, no guarantees as you are doing something that is outside the norm. They didn't set up an "emergency system" to accommodate the 0.0001%.

Blathering on about crime, jail and prison guards is a false storyline and just an emotional plea that at best they will blow off. At worst, effectively calling them names and nasty things will turn them against you. From a PR standpoint, they can enforce the rules with draconian effect and no one is going to challenge them in the name of saving Aussies from the "Rona".

Most likely, your buddy boat guys simply got their paperwork in a different officials desk and that official was faster at processing. Sucks but it happens and doesn't rise to the level of being an "equality" issue.

PS: Did you get approval from the other vessels to include them in your letter? It could backfire and your "equality" comes in the form of your buddy boats getting pulled into quarantine at significant expense because the exemption was issued in error.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

They didn't set up an "emergency system" to accommodate the 0.0001%.

Blathering on about crime, jail and prison guards is a false storyline and just an emotional plea that at best they will blow off. At worst, effectively calling them names and nasty things will turn them against you. From a PR standpoint, they can enforce the rules with draconian effect and no one is going to challenge them in the name of saving Aussies from the "Rona".

No they set it up for the 0.01% of the worlds population which is roughly the amount that have died from it within a year, but screw the 99.99% which are OK.


More people should be challenging them as that is the only way they will take notice if enough voices rise up against these measures, but sadly in Australia all I hear is a gentle bleating carried around by the wind.

[Bruce Morley]

Hello to the CF. My friend who was driven from Newcastle to the managed isolation facility in Sydney City by 2 NSW police officers had the reasoning explaned to him. The Border Force and health officials were badly stung after the cruise ship event in Sydney so that to take any risk as small as it looks to us on the outside was not permitted. Any further bad media would not be the best outcome for them, their superiors or the politics. Whilst I can see from your postings that you feel very upset by the outcome of your arrival in Australia as a person who has been as far as the Australian Administration Appeals Commission with my greivence I wish you all the best with your efforts with the officials. If I could offer one small peice of advice that may help you, keep a hard copy of any correspondence you send or receive and keep a phone log of all calls in and out with a written record of those calls. Do not rely on digital records. The judges like to read the evidence.

Bruce

[Mattzilla]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Yep, theres another example.

In regards to just sit back and enjoy it, I'm not sure how anyone can enjoy having two weeks of life and $3700 taken from them when others in exactly the same situation get a free pass.

I think this issue is "consistency" as much as "equality"

It seems the directives and blanket rulings re quarantine have evolved or changed a lot.

A friends returned to his vessel in QLD from SA in May and was allowed to do his 14 day quarantine in the marina, on his own yacht. The marina operators were happy to assist in getting provisions delivered etc.


This is not an international arriving, is a domestic travel case, and is a subject returning to what is his home now from the low risk state of South Australia.

However in his case it seems that logic prevailed, and isolating on his own yacht was more than acceptable to airport customs/police officials at that time.

I get it if you are arriving and have no accommodation.

But why if you have a home or yacht, are paying rent or marina fees already, should you not be able to isolate at that place and be trusted to follow the rules there?


Why should you have to pay for quarantine at some place that we have seen a lot of outbreaks occurring (Victorian quarantine hotel situation failings for example) and a place that is going to be a higher risk (due to more people around and potentially infected in close proximity, handling your food etc) when you already have a suitable place (home, yacht etc in Australia) that you can isolate at???

[markpierce]

Under the circumstances, every one should go to and stay at their home ports.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Under the circumstances, every one should go to and stay at their home ports.

But that is exactly what Dale is doing! He's returning to his home country...

Jim

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Under the circumstances, every one should go to and stay at their home ports.

Mark, I'm not sure if you realize that there are 100's of vessels out there far from home that cant get to their home ports, it's not possible.

As Jim pointed out, this is exactly what I've done, sailed 8,000nm to return to my home port.

This is a cruisers forum, it amazes me how many "cruisers" here dont understand the reality of what's happening.

[Bruce Morley]

Hello. I'm not sure that the cruisers on this forum don't understand the predicament you have found yourself in. As the posters are from a number of different countries around the world you are going to have a number of differing views on the subject from fully supporting you to total disagreement.

My wife and I have been house sitting for a Australian permanent resident UK citizen who flew to the UK midway through the first wave of covid 19 here in Australia and then returned 3 months later. Completed 14 managed isolation and then back home. The other example is a Dutch citizen Australian permanent resident who arrived in Newcastle after a passage from Opua NZ closed up the yacht ane flew back home via the USA in February this year. He has just returned completed 14 days managed isolation in Sydney and has returned to his yacht which he will prepare for shipping back to Europe. In both cases their was no charge for the managed isolation as they both booked in advance of the date when the charge started.
I just bring these cases to the forum to show that as the covid 19 evolved so did the way the each individual is handled. It is unfortunate the your welcoming party and yourself were poles apart and you have found yourself in an argument with the officials and as I posted earlier I do wish you well if you take it further. I won't wish you luck as in this case I think good reason will win and not luck.

Bruce