3 ms·

To summarise what you're saying: "the government did some things wrong while fighting COVID". Sure, I don't disagree. That said, are bad government policies wo

To summarise what you're saying: "the government did some things wrong while fighting COVID". Sure, I don't disagree. That said, are bad government policies worse than the murder of civilians? I'll let you guess which one is more likely to make me go out and protest. Of course I'll ridicule people who call Australia an authoritarian state over the suboptimal handling of a public health problem. First of all because I know what an authoritarian state actually looks like, and second because having temporary movement restrictions is only a mild inconvenience for most people. Also, your government actually wants you out of your house working and spending money, and they would much rather not have lockdowns at all than lose votes over this. I never thought I'd see the day where I talk about an Australian politician in a non-critical way, but here we are. > foreign citizens are forbidden from leaving the country Only permanent residents are not allowed to leave without a permit, as per the home affairs page. But to address your point, I can absolutely promise you that people did not go on protests for the sake of foreigners that couldn't leave Australia.

0xy 5y ago
>Only permanent residents are not allowed to leave without a permit Must be outdated information, it was changed recently. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/06/australians-who-live-overseas-now-unable-to-leave-country-if-they-return-for-visit https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/06/austr... >The Australian government has quietly expanded its ban on Australian citizens leaving the country to include people who are ordinarily residents in another country, meaning that even people who live overseas may not be allowed to leave Australia. Absolutely despicable, and contrary to UN freedom of movement human rights charters -- of which Australia is a signatory. When your country steps on basic human rights as defined by the UN, you no longer have an excuse to not call what's happening "authoritarian". Sorry, but preventing foreign citizens from leaving by force is authoritarian. That's North Korea tier. No other Western country prevents outbound travel for non-citizens.
- Tomis02 5y ago
  As far as I know, any foreign citizen can leave. If they are a permanent resident, they can either apply for a permit or drop their visa - it's generally much easier to leave than to come back. Your quote is slightly ambiguous but I assume it refers to Australian citizens who are residents of other countries. The article you linked only talks about Australian citizens as far as I can tell. FWI I upvoted your original comment to compensate for the downvotes.
  - 0xy 5y ago
    Permits are not guaranteed, and I know dozens of people on a personal level who have been denied these permits including for reasons such as permanent relocation with proof, seeing terminal relatives and other genuine reasons (not that you should need a "genuine reason" to receive a human right). The quote specifically says people who are ordinarily resident in other countries. I don't think it matters whether they're an Australian citizen/PR or not. They literally live elsewhere. Here's a more clear source [1] Not that it even matters, because preventing anyone from leaving is a violation of UN Human Rights charters which Australia is a signatory to. They chose to ignore international agreements and trap people. It's authoritarianism. The only parallels exist in North Korea, China, or the USSR. North Korea will stop you leaving by force, as will Australia -- international treaties be damned. "Permits" aren't automatic, nor guaranteed. That's like saying North Koreans can leave at any time -- as long as the NK government permits it. [1] https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-says-it-will-lock-in-returning-citizens-who-permanently-live-abroad-20210805-p58gb9.html https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-says-it-wi...

0xy 5y ago

>Only permanent residents are not allowed to leave without a permit Must be outdated information, it was changed recently. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/06/australians-who-live-overseas-now-unable-to-leave-country-if-they-return-for-visit https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/06/austr... >The Australian government has quietly expanded its ban on Australian citizens leaving the country to include people who are ordinarily residents in another country, meaning that even people who live overseas may not be allowed to leave Australia. Absolutely despicable, and contrary to UN freedom of movement human rights charters -- of which Australia is a signatory. When your country steps on basic human rights as defined by the UN, you no longer have an excuse to not call what's happening "authoritarian". Sorry, but preventing foreign citizens from leaving by force is authoritarian. That's North Korea tier. No other Western country prevents outbound travel for non-citizens.

Tomis02 5y ago
As far as I know, any foreign citizen can leave. If they are a permanent resident, they can either apply for a permit or drop their visa - it's generally much easier to leave than to come back. Your quote is slightly ambiguous but I assume it refers to Australian citizens who are residents of other countries. The article you linked only talks about Australian citizens as far as I can tell. FWI I upvoted your original comment to compensate for the downvotes.
- 0xy 5y ago
  Permits are not guaranteed, and I know dozens of people on a personal level who have been denied these permits including for reasons such as permanent relocation with proof, seeing terminal relatives and other genuine reasons (not that you should need a "genuine reason" to receive a human right). The quote specifically says people who are ordinarily resident in other countries. I don't think it matters whether they're an Australian citizen/PR or not. They literally live elsewhere. Here's a more clear source [1] Not that it even matters, because preventing anyone from leaving is a violation of UN Human Rights charters which Australia is a signatory to. They chose to ignore international agreements and trap people. It's authoritarianism. The only parallels exist in North Korea, China, or the USSR. North Korea will stop you leaving by force, as will Australia -- international treaties be damned. "Permits" aren't automatic, nor guaranteed. That's like saying North Koreans can leave at any time -- as long as the NK government permits it. [1] https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-says-it-will-lock-in-returning-citizens-who-permanently-live-abroad-20210805-p58gb9.html https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-says-it-wi...