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A court action challenging the legality of the federal government’s ban on Australian citizens and residents returning home from India is has begun in the Federal Court, less than a week before the travel suspension is lifted.
All Australians in India have been banned from returning directly home under the Biosecurity Act until 15 May, as the Australian government scrambles to contend with the continuing COVID-19 crisis in the country.
Gary Newman, a 73-year-old Australian who has been stranded in Bangalore for more than a year, launched the legal challenge last week, arguing the Health Minister Greg Hunt’s emergency declaration is invalid on constitutional grounds.
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But Mr Frydenberg cautioned that there are many factors to take into account that will determine whether that timeline will be met. We ve got to follow the medical advice. That medical advice has helped keep Australians safe, that medical advice has helped keep the virus at bay here in Australia, and with a strong health position, we ve had a strong economic recovery, and it s vitally important we continue to follow the medical advice, with respect to borders.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says there will be an assumption in this week s budget of borders opening next year.
Ben Patrick / SBS News
Australia s international borders will stay shut until 2022, Josh Frydenberg says sbs.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sbs.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Parents are pleading with the federal government to develop a plan to help reunite them with their children who are stranded in India.
The Senate s COVID-19 inquiry was told on Friday there are 173 unaccompanied Australian minors in India.
The inquiry heard from parents who are desperate to be reunited with their children, who are staying with family in India as the nation grapples with a record-breaking virus outbreak.
Qantas does not allow children to fly unaccompanied on repatriation flights.
Harjinder s three-year-old son has been with his grandparents in India since September 2019.
Drisya and Dilin have not seen their five-year-old daughter, who is also with grandparents, for more than a year.
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An Australian permanent resident has died in India after contracting COVID-19, says his daughter, as the country continues to shatter records for new deaths and cases of the virus.
Sydney woman Sonali Ralhan says her father died on Wednesday in a small private New Delhi hospital after contracting coronavirus, three days after the federal government enacted a controversial India travel ban and made it temporarily illegal for citizens and permanent residents stranded there to come home.
Her father, 59, became a permanent resident of Australia more than 10 years ago, and often travelled back to India where he managed a hotel in New Delhi.