The Commonwealth has advised the Victorian Government that they have been unable to organise the intended Tasmanian repatriation flights ahead of international travellers returning to Victoria.
As a result, we have revised the caps on international arrivals coming into Victoria over the next month, to ensure we can safely accommodate both international travellers on commercial flights and the Tasmanian cohort, an official press release said.
Flights will still begin on Thursday 8 April, with no change to the cap of 800 arrivals per week.
From Thursday 15 April, 1,000 passengers a week will be accepted into the hotel quarantine program, with 120 of those places available for the Tasmanian residents arriving on Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade repatriation flights.
“The Commonwealth has rejected Victoria’s proposal to provide 120 additional places to economic cohorts, so we will continue to explore options for how these groups can be accommodated within the program”, the release said.
This is a disappointing outcome which would have resulted in an increase in economic activity for our state. We will continue to work with the Commonwealth and utilise these places as soon as this matter is agreed to.
It is currently expected all 332 Tasmanian residents will arrive by Thursday 13 May—at which time the cap can increase to 1,000 international travellers on commercial flights per week.
These updates to our program schedule will ensure we can honour our end of the seasonal worker arrangement with Tasmania, while continuing to provide a safe and steady resumption of hotel quarantine in Victoria, the release further added.
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The Commonwealth has advised the Victorian Government that they have been unable to organise the intended Tasmanian #repatriation #flights ahead of international travellers returning to Victoria. #TheIndianSunhttps://t.co/GYPCB65HP3
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