Do you have any source for your assertion that 60%+ of arrivals are foreign nationals under the 'close relatives' exemption? I've spoken to a number of people who manage various aspects of the quarantine process who all seemed to suggest this wasn't true...
Gladys in a press conference some weeks back - let the cat out of the bag' when she announced how many international travellers arrived in the June Qtr after the international border closure, & of those how many were citizens & permanent residents. Of total (from failing memory) 335k arrivals, 130k Aust citizens/permanent residents. She did not mention the balance - but A - B = 205K through to the end of June. Unofficial feedback since then has the proportion arriving from some regions significantly higher.
I've been told by a number of people involved (across Australia) that the numbers reported are a small part of the story, also partially to do with issues with the hotel quarantines due to a good number of these 'close relatives' not speaking English.
Much earlier in this blog (I think it was) I put a link to the Gladys' announcement & used the transparent NZ supplied info which showed that NZ has (had?) a similar exemption & the arrivals came from the sub-continent mostly for a few week period once the CV cases began to spike there. Then NZ saw an increase in US citizens arriving as 'close relatives'.
The difference being that NZ openly displays the info whereas it is hidden in Australia & the media are not interested in reporting the whole story for some reason?
I haven't heard since the 'pay your way' was introduced but just prior to it coming in - it was suggested that 'exemptions' (cost waived) would be very easy to obtain for foreign nationals due to fears that Fed Govt would be portrayed as racist. After all $3k is more than a years' income for 2 large groups who had been arriving in large numbers prior to Melbourne stopping accepting flights.
For example, one NSW based 'university' does a remarkable trade in US citizens studying & going onto Permanent resident status. Seems to have the lionshare (by number) equal to almost the rest of Australian Universities combined.
Just add it onto the 'We don't have the full amount of PPE in the Australian national stock pile so we'll say that the community wearing masks won't make a difference' file. Discussed 2x at National cabinet in at the first few meetings & 2 State Premiers (it is alleged) vehemently disagreed with lying about it, but agreed to hold the line following 'discussions' (threats?). Two guesses which Premiers they were.
Amazing how cost cutting to achieve a Commonwealth Budget Surplus can have fatal real world consequences.
The 'fake' truth does not just happen in Australia though.
Just wish more people could spell 'propaganda' so we could use that term instead of 'fake news'! Perhaps one prominent American cannot pronounce it?
Dr Fauci got outed by a disgruntled friend/colleague in June after recording him discussing how he misled the public about masks. The person sent the recording to a journalist who contacted Dr Fauci. After some days of negotiations a deal was done. Fauci would give an exclusive interview and the questions asked were scripted in advance - so Fauci got the opportunity to spin it his way.
Question that was NOT to be asked - "Why weren't the public urged to make their own re-usable masks?".
Coincidentally at the time he first said masks served no purpose - Colleges (Universities) across the US put up their own instructions on how to make re-usable masks - eg: MIT, UCLA...
Fauci: why the public wasn't told to wear masks when the ...
thehill.com › changing-america › well-being › prevention-cures › 50...
Jun 16, 2020 - Speaking on TheStreet,
Fauci explains how wearing face
masks is effective at preventing coronavirus spread. At the onset of the pandemic, ...
Dr. Anthony Fauci explains the purpose of masks and why the American public wasn't immediately told to wear masks when the coronavirus pandemic first took hold in the U.S.
www.thestreet.com
The agreed interview with TheStreet on June 12th (above).
Anthony Fauci said medical shortages were a reason the public was discouraged from using masks early in the coronavirus pandemic.
www.businessinsider.com.au
In January through March, as the spread of the disease became more and more serious, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
actively discouraged the use of masks among the general public.
Just wish someone told Trump about that early 'white lie'!
www.absolutely-australia.com.au
, and highlights just how big the problems are for the travel industry at the moment.
