The rationale for preventing citizens leaving is that they may catch COVID abroad then rely on govt. intervention to get back home as a "stranded" Aussie. This

The rationale for preventing citizens leaving is that they may catch COVID abroad then rely on govt. intervention to get back home as a "stranded" Aussie. This is of course nonsense, as govt. intervention to get home has been worth exactly fuck all over the last 18 months. An acquaintance of mine went overseas for his mother's funeral, was told he wasn't allowed to return, managed to get back on the constraint that he flew business (we want rich people back here, after all), then had to fly to South Australia (we are in NSW), quarantine for two weeks, hire a car, and drive back to NSW where he was required to quarantine for two weeks at the border before returning home. Whether all that was indeed necessary to prevent the spread of COVID (despite several negative tests and all but total isolation in that time) is up for debate, but yes the government certainly makes it as hard as possible to enter the country, virtually impossible unless you can purchase upper-class tickets (bribe the border force).