Exclusive: Federal MP Craig Kelly told Aussie stranded overseas by coronavirus to ‘treat experience as big adventure’ – 9News

A young Australian woman stranded overseas without the right to work during the coronavirus pandemic was told by her Federal MP to "treat the experience as one of life's big adventures", despite her life savings dwindling and mental health being impacted. Young Sydney woman Chelsea Dorricott, 23, has been stranded in the United Kingdom for months due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Supplied - Chelsea Dorricott) Chelsea Dorricott, 23 from Sydney's south, was working at a Canadian ski resort at the beginning of 2020 when COVID-19 first impacted the world and the Australian government advised there was not yet a need to come home. After that advice changed and the Federal Government declared the spread of the virus a pandemic, Ms Dorricott said cases rapidly appeared at the resort, Australians in Canada exhausted all possible flight options and she had just 10 hours to decide whether to flee Canada for the United Kingdom.

"At that point there were no suitable flights to come home, it was first or business class only that was a bit of a disaster," she told 9news.com.au.

"I looked into the UK purely because my dad was born here and so I knew I could apply for a UK passport and then potentially gain a working right.

"Flights (from Canada to the UK) were not affected at all, they were literally $200 as opposed to a $15,000 first class flight to Sydney (and) I have family here and my partner is here."

Ms Dorricott managed to enter the UK visa-free in the hope of applying for a birth-right passport, however when virus cases soared and passport offices closed in April, she was stranded in Southampton without means for an income or viable way home.

She had a flight home booked for September 1 which was abruptly cancelled and rescheduled for October 30, however she says she's not certain that will go ahead.

Ms Dorricott reached out to her local MP, Member for Hughes Craig Kelly, for advice on if she could be taken home as a "priority" passenger.

Under Australia's current international arrival caps, NSW is taking 850 passengers a day, South Australia receives 600 a week, Queensland now takes 500 travellers a week and Western Australia will accommodate the same number by October 12.

In his initial email response, seen by 9news.com.au, Mr Kelly told Ms Dorricott the Federal Government is working with states to return as many Australians home as quickly as possible.

"I understand the stress you must be feeling and I know it's easy for me sitting here in Sydney but try and treat the experience as one of life's big adventures," Mr Kelly said in the email.

"Think of past generations that were trapped overseas for years because of war they got through it and I'm sure you will too."

Ms Dorricott said when she read the response, she was left "very angry" by what she felt was Mr Kelly's lack of support for a constituent.

"It was just laughable, it was so bad that I couldn't help but laugh and then the first thing that I did was take screenshots of it and send it to all my family," she said.

"I didn't respond to him, I didn't see the point in wasting my breath in getting worked up in compiling a response that was going to be very negative."

Mr Kelly told 9news.com.au he responded in the best way he could for a stressed constituent and said he raised her situation with Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday.

"You've got to try and give reassurance and confidence when someone's mentally stressed, you've got to assure them that things are going to be okay and also to try and put it in some context for them," he said.

"Of course it's not an adventure, but when someone tells you that they are feeling very mentally stressed, it's my obligation to try and give that person some reassurance.

"People have been through a lot worse and that's the reason why you will get through this, you will be okay.

"I'm sure she would've loved me to say I can guarantee that you'll get on that flight but the reality of life is, as much as I'd like to say that, that's something I don't have the power to do and to pretend that I do would be misleading a constituent."

The UK is currently battling the grips of a second wave of coronavirus and the threat of more lockdowns, with cases skyrocketing beyond 14,000 a day.

That motion was passed and presented an idea supported by Ms Dorricott - mandatory self-isolation from home for returned travellers.

"I know they had that and people were being silly and couldn't abide by the rules," she said.

"But I think we're at a point now where the Australians trying to get home are desperate.

"The government just needs to trust we'll do the right thing the last thing I want to do is give my family coronavirus.

"I've literally never been someone that's struggles with mental health and it's honestly destroyed me, being stuck here."

"Kristina's from the Labor Party, she should ring Daniel Andrews and demand that he lifts the number of places and starts to create some places in Victoria," he told 9news.com.au.

"Yes, they made a complete meal of it before, but surely they have learnt from those mistakes and they can start taking more Australians back.

"It's terrible that Australians are unable to come home like this.

"If the states are not able to do that, we've got to look at people from low risk areas now the UK may not be one but New Zealand might be, places like Taiwan might be, South Korea might be.

"People coming back from these places where the risk is very, very low, allow those people to go into self-quarantine (at home) and that will then free up more places (in hotels) for people coming back from Europe or France."

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Exclusive: Federal MP Craig Kelly told Aussie stranded overseas by coronavirus to 'treat experience as big adventure' - 9News