Asian Australian Alliance, a community advocacy group, has launched a petition requesting the Australian government to withdraw the punitive travel ban from India.
Lead Victorian convenor Molina Asthana said the group started the petition on 3 May.
Highlights:
- Community group Asian Australian Alliance has started a petition
- The group plans to hold vigils in Melbourne and Brisbane
- The Australian government said this pause would enable them to restore repatriation flights
"This (the travel ban) is an unjustified and unprecedented move by the Australian government," Ms Asthana told SBS Hindi.
On 27 April, the Australian government temporarily suspended travel from India after a record rise in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the South Asian country.
The advocacy group held a vigil in Sydney last month. Source: Supplied by Molina Asthana
"This is enabling us to get on the right footing to be able to restore repatriation flights and we are making good progress to that," Mr Morrison told reporters.
"It is working and that means the pause will enable us to get Australian residents and their immediate families back on repatriation flights."
Ms Asthana said their protest is about the hefty fine and five-year jail term that the government had imposed on those returning from India.
Australia suspended travel from India on 27 April. Source: AAP
"Australia had not imposed these punitive restrictions when the coronavirus was peaking in countries such as the UK and the US," Ms Asthana said.
"We demand the cancellation of this ban with immediate effect," she said.
The group aims to collect 1,000 signatures for their petition. They held a vigil in Sydney last month and planning to organise similar events in Melbourne and Brisbane.
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