Stranded Queenslanders are at breaking point, facing homelessness and unemployment even after they regain entry to their state, a volunteer advocate working to get people home says.
From December 17, fully vaccinated domestic travellers from COVID hotspots will be allowed into Queensland by any method of travel, without needing to quarantine.
The only extra requirement will be to show proof of a negative COVID test done within 72 hours prior to arrival.
Alongside her husband, Tweed resident Meredith Llewelyn has been running a makeshift word-of-mouth advocacy service for stranded Queenslanders in NSW since August, with the help of family, friends and her local church.
She said the people she speaks to on a daily basis are at breaking point.
"I spoke to a woman this morning who was just sobbing, because she couldn't afford Nurofen for her sick child who had a fever," Ms Llewelyn said.
"She and her partner had lost their jobs because they're not in Queensland and can't get back — they're still paying rent in Queensland and also emergency accommodation in New South Wales."
'The horror of it all'
Ms Llewelyn said she believed the state government does not understand the extent of the problem.
"We've just kept a little bucket of money going that's enabled us to help pay rent, get fuel, nappies, medication and essential supplies to the growing number of people who, for a growing length of time, have been locked out of their state," she said.
"Once I started reading what was happening to people on Facebook pages, just the horror of it all, we became aware of how big the problem is.
"We've had some wonderful community members who have helped us get some immediate help to people who need it."
Ms Llewelyn said she was concerned the problems wouldn't end even after the Queensland border opened on December 17.
"The case that really epitomised the problem for me was a 75-year-old couple, double-vaccinated, who have been in the border region the entire time, and could literally walk to their home from the border — but they are not allowed."
'I've exhausted everything that I can'
In September, Townsville man John Thornton walked across the border into New South Wales so he could attend his mother's funeral.
"We got the phone call on the 21st of September that my mother had passed away, and it was very traumatic," he said.
"So we booked our flights down to Brisbane, we got a friend of ours to drop us at the border, then we walked across."
Driven by grief and a need to support his father, Mr Thornton is one of thousands of Queenslanders who were stranded interstate and facing at least another six weeks in limbo.
"I don't qualify for home quarantine because I'm in share accommodation in Townsville, so that's just not relevant for me," Mr Thornton said.
Mr Thornton is now sharing an empty house in Tenterfield in NSW with his father and sister, and sleeping on the floor as he waits.
"At the moment I am very seriously considering legal options — not just for me — but for everyone else that's gone through lack of earnings and the fact this has been totally mentally draining," he said.
"I'm doing a lot better than other people — I'm not in my car, I'm not in a tent — so at least I've got that."
'I just wake up in tears'
Tammy Nathan is also stranded in NSW, less than an hour from her new home in Southport on Queensland's Gold Coast.
Ms Nathan and her partner were relocating to the Gold Coast and have been paying rent on a Southport home since September.
It was that very reason Ms Nathan was at a loss as to why she and her partner have not been invited to home quarantine.
"We're just sitting here waiting and hoping to be eligible for home quarantine, but no-one is getting back to us on what the criteria is," Ms Nathan said.
"We're both double-vaccinated and have a property we can head to, less than an hour away.
Ms Nathan said she was fortunate to be staying with a friend, but feared how much longer she would have to wait before she could get to the Gold Coast.
"We've absolutely done everything right – we put in our application to enter the state seven weeks ago, we're double-vaccinated, we're happy to take all the tests and have a place to go to," she said.
"But instead we're living out of a suitcase, and they can't tell us where we are in the queue – they can't tell us a thing."
