The slow trickle of Australian citizens overseas being allowed to travel home since the international travel bans were introduced nine months ago is taking its toll on a Port Stephens family stuck in Dubai.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fiona Neal, living in Dubai with her three children Annabelle, 16, Lukas, 13, and James, 7, has contacted the Examiner with a message to the Australian public about her family's need to get home and to reunite with a fourth daughter, Gabbi, 18, living in Fingal Bay.
"It has been an incredibly challenging time for many of us who have been affected by government restrictions to get home. The hardest part is being separated from our loved ones," she said.
Mrs Neal says that life in the United Arab Emirates revolves around COVID-19.
The mother of four says the mental anguish of being stuck overseas as the federal government continues its hard line of restricting the spread of the coronavirus had been unbearable.
She said that they were bumped off a flight just one week before it was scheduled to leave.
The next available flight home is March 17.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said that while helping Australians overseas remained a highest priority, they would not comment on individual cases.
Federal MP Meryl Swanson admitted that the situation with Australian families being stranded abroad was not good enough and that caps on flights have continued to disincentive airlines and leave Australians stranded.
"My office has made contact with many families overseas who have needed consular assistance and we are encouraging everyone abroad to register with DFAT and all available supports," she said.
Mrs Neal said that the family has registered with DFAT.
"Our story is not unique, there are a number of Australians stranded all over the world," Mrs Neal added.
"All we want is to get home, we want to keep our country safe, we don't want to do anything that will jeopardise the Australian economy or the health of our community.
"None of us are looking forward to quarantine or paying for the privilege, but we are prepared to do whatever it takes because we know this is our responsibility."
Mrs Neal said that the couple's eldest daughter, Gabbi, had returned to Australia for medical reasons in April 2019.
"She has turned 18 during this time and we have not been able to see her for 14 months due to COVID-19," she said.
"This has been heartbreaking. My husband, Glenn, an architect, was stuck in Saudi Arabia and we were separated from him for seven months. This has been incredibly difficult time for us on so many levels.
"The three children with me are due to start school at St Philips Christian College at Salamander Bay in January."
Mrs Neal said that they were bumped off their latest flight just one week from its scheduled flight and have re-booked a flight for March 17.
"We are now in a position where we have no visa, my children are not in school and it is a waiting game and pot luck," she said.
"The future cuts to capacity made by the governments is putting so many people in desperate situations. I am concerned not only of my family's mental health but of those in even more desperate situations."
Mrs Neal said that being separated from family had been incredibly hard.
"For months we had monitored flights but the prices were outrageous. We ended up booking months ahead for reasonable priced flight which took constant monitoring of flights with such limited availability and flight caps changing constantly," she said.
"The flight was cancelled due to the Australian government restricting the capacity a week before we were due to leave."
Mrs Neal said that she had made a number of attempts to call Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) but had not been able to speak to anyone.
"I have registered on the DFAT site and I am constantly checking and changing our details. Fortunately, I have made wonderful friends here who keep my spirits up. I have also found a lot of support on a Facebook group - Australian Stuck Around the World."
Mrs Neal described her daily routine in Dubai.
"I wake up at 5.30 each morning (a lot of sleepless nights), check the over night news and check flight availability," she said
"Whenever possible we will go out for a walk, play basketball or kick a ball around, do some reading and maths with the children, play card games and watch way too much TV and the kids spend lots of time on iPads.
"It is important to me to keep the kids motivated and engaged as it can get depressing when every day is like ground hog day.
"We are conscious of socialising as if something was to happen and we can get on a flight quickly we can not risk having COVID. It is hard keeping motivated and upbeat when it feels like you are just a number in the 36,000 trying to get home."
Ms Swanson said that she was pleased the minister had answered Labor calls to make grants available for minors and recipients of pensions to cover the cost of airfares to return to Australia.
"I support Anthony Albanese's calls for the Federal Government to deploy Royal Australian Air Force jets usually reserved for VIPs to pick up and bring home thousands of Australians still stranded overseas."
The DFAT spokesperson said that since March, DFAT had helped more than 39,000 Australians return on more than 500 flights including over 12,800 people on 92 government facilitated flights.
"In the six weeks prior to Christmas, DFAT made more than 50,000 offers of places on flights to Australians registered overseas," the spokesperson said.
"Further facilitated flights to support the return of vulnerable Australians overseas are planned for the coming weeks from the United Kingdom, India, United States and other countries. Numbers on all facilitated flights are restricted by caps as applied by states and territories and agreed by National Cabinet."
DFAT has also expanded its financial assistance program to make available further emergency funds for the most vulnerable Australian citizens overseas.
This support was intended to assist Australians in financial distress due to COVID-19 to purchase return flights to Australia wherever it was possible.