NSW farmers are stuck in Wodonga despite their state's Premier Gladys Berejiklian bowing to pressure from Canberrans to be able to return home from Thursday.
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Kim and Robyn Cartwright from Crookwell in the Southern Tablelands have been holed up in Wodonga for a week when their travel permit expired without notice.
On Wednesday, the NSW government announced ACT residents could travel home in a five-day window beginning at 9am Thursday and also agreed to fund quarantine payments for its citizens returning from Victoria.
But the Cartwrights, who are desperate to return to their farm where they have about 1000 sheep ready to lamb, are stranded for the foreseeable future.
"I wonder if the Premier knows (the ACT residents) are going to travel on a NSW road to get back to the ACT," Mr Cartwright said.
"But her own people can't. Where is the sense in that?"
They had successfully applied for a permit to travel to perform a critical agricultural service at a farm near Omeo, but were blindsided by the NSW government altering the public health order requiring its own residents to travel via Sydney on their return trips.
"The thing that really annoys us is when we applied for and got the permits we needed last Thursday there was nothing to say they were going to wipe them at midnight the same night," Mr Cartwright said.
"They would have known then there was going to be a change.
"The arrogance and stupidity of the bureaucrats who write these things is mind-boggling.
"We would be happy to head straight home, self isolate and look after our sheep who are just about to lamb.
"Anyone off a farm knows how vulnerable pregnant ewes are.
"We've also got working dogs tied up that need to be fed and watered."
RELATED COVERAGE
An estimated 100 ACT residents have been unable to cross the border for a week, but NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard revealed the break-through on Wednesday
Those travelling back to the ACT must re-fuel in Wodonga with one designated stop on the journey at a rest area north of Gundagai.
ACT residents must not return to NSW within 14 days and will need to self-isolation upon their return home.
One of those stuck in Wodonga told the Canberra Times: "My partner just burst into tears. We've had no idea how long we'd be stuck here and felt like pawns in a bizarre game.
"There was no need for this to happen."
NSW Health was contacted for comment about why NSW residents weren't afforded the same travel arrangements as ACT residents.
The Cartrights have also contacted Goulburn Liberal MP Wendy Tuckerman to resolve their issue.
"The health orders concerning crossing the border from Victoria to NSW are ultimately there to protect all citizens of NSW," she said.
"I am aware of a number of my constituents who are sitting at the border, hoping to get a special exemption to return to their homes in my electorate for genuine reasons and not have to re-enter NSW via Sydney.
"I will continue to advocate for my constituents and be guided by health advice."
Mr Hazzard said those wanting to return to NSW shouldn't be left out of pocket to meet quarantine requirements.
The border closure restrictions are also shaping as road-block for Victorian-based shearers needing to travel into NSW for the upcoming shearing season.
Under the most recent changes they must also travel via Sydney to work on farms in southern NSW.
"It's a big problem," Shearing Contractors Association of Australia secretary Jason Letchford told the ABC.
"We had a lot of people with border crossing permits in the middle of jobs and got a lot of work coming up in the spring.
"The closure is a real concern for us."