Australia says G'day - New exemption category
by RoRC Guy Chester 22 Nov 2020 15:09 PST
Australia says G'day - New exemption category © Ocean Cruising Club
After months of lobbying national, state agencies and politicians, the OCC has received a letter from the Australian Border Force advising exemption category to COVID-19 restrictions for yachts.
After the many months of lobbying national, state agencies and politicians by the OCC, Down Under Rally and a supportive senior politician, the OCC has received a letter from the Australian Border Force advising an additional exemption category to the COVID-19 inbound travel restrictions for: "persons who reside on a vessel that seeks safe port at the closest appointed port for reprovisioning or safety reasons for a limited duration, supported by the relevant State/Territory where safe haven is sought."
The application process will involve four steps:
1. QLD Border Exemption Application.
2. Queensland Quarantine Exemption Application.
3. Australian VISA Application for all persons aboard the vessel.
4. Travel Exemption Application.
The letter the OCC received and a checklist for step four can be
downloaded here.
At this stage, Queensland is the only state that has indicated it will accept foreign yachts/nationals under this criteria. It is likely that Bundaberg will be the best port of entry given recent arrival procedures for Australian Yachts facilitated by Bundaberg Port Marina and The Down Under Rally. The four consecutive application processes are expected to take at least 4 -6 weeks to complete.
After we contacted some key Queensland and Commonwealth agencies to confirm requirements, John Hembrow has produced a free guide with our understanding of the process and relevant links for the applications.
Please note that Australia has strict Quarantine for arrivals, the default is mandatory 14 days in a government nominated hotel at your expense. There is a process for obtaining an exemption (step 4 above) to have sea time taken into account and/or quarantine aboard. This is not guaranteed, many Australian yachts have obtained the exemptions in recent months and some have not.
In these early stages of the cyclone season cruisers need to make a decision regarding staying put versus making a passage to better shelter.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.