There are at least 36,000 Australians stuck abroad who are trying to get home but cannot because of the strict quarantine limits on how many people can enter the country per week.
At least 9000 of those are in India andmore than 600 are classified as vulnerable.
The office of federal Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the arrangements in a statement released early on Saturday after Nine News reported the government was considering a further step by making it a crime,punishable by a maximum $66,000 fine and/or five years’ jail,to travel home from India.
Nine reported that Mr Hunt would invoke powers under the Biosecurity Act – the same legislation used to close the borders – as soon as Saturday.
Earlier,the national cabinet issued a statement saying it “expressed solidarity with the Indian community both within Australia and overseas”.
It comes after Australian cricketers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson flew home from India via Qatar on a flight that departed just before the border between Australia and India was sealed at 7pm on Wednesday.