Man who spent $15,000 on a private charter flight to say goodbye to his dying 44kg father is cruelly denied entry to Queensland even though he is fully vaccinated and has an exemption from Border Force

Mark Kilian and his wife Anneli flew from Los Angeles to Sydney on Tuesday
They were granted a travel exemption by Border Force and NSW Health
But they were callously refused entry to Queensland by state health officials
Mr Kilian's 80-year-old father weighs 44kg and is dying of pancreatic cancer
QLD Health rejected their quarantine exemption application multiple times

By Alana Mazzoni For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 01:13 BST, 17 June 2021 | Updated: 01:13 BST, 17 June 2021

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An American man who spent $15,000 on a private charter plane to say goodbye to his dying father has been denied entry to Queensland from NSW.

Mark Kilian and his wife Anneli flew from Los Angeles to Sydney on Tuesday, and were granted a travel exemption by Australian Border Force and NSW Health.

However, when the Kilians tried to leave NSW on a $15,000 private charter plane, they were refused entry to by Queensland Health officials.

Mr Kilian's 80-year-old father Frans weighs just 44kg and is dying of pancreatic cancer at hospital on the Gold Coast.

Queensland Health has since rejected the couple's quarantine exemption application multiple times.

Mark Kilian and his wife Anneli flew from LA to Sydney on Tuesday and were granted a travel exemption by Border Force and NSW Health. But they were then refused entry to Queensland

'All we are hoping is to see my dad Frans before he passes and to say goodbye. Time is of the essence as he is not expected to last much more than a few days,' Mr Kilian wrote on an online petition.

Frans was rushed to Robina Hospital late Tuesday afternoon after his condition became critical.

'My mother who is 91 requires 24/7 care which has been impossible since Dad's condition rendered him unable to care for her,' he said.

Mr Kilian said his father's doctor 'emphasised in an appeal letter to Queensland Health that we present a minimal health risk to the people of Queensland'.

The Home Affairs Home Affairs determined that 'the circumstances outweigh the risk to the Australian community'.

'We are also supported by the US consulate which in an appeal to Queensland Health stated that "we urge the Queensland Government to also balance the compelling compassionate circumstances of this dying Australian citizen and his family against the extremely low risk to community public health",' he said.

Despite the couple both testing negative and being fully vaccinated against Covid, Queensland Health said officials would always 'put the safety of the community first'.

Mr Kilian told Sunrise he was 'emotionally drained' and disappointed that a situation like this could happen in Australia.

Mr Kilian's 80-year-old father Frans weighs just 44kg and is dying of pancreatic cancer at hospital on the Gold Coast

'When we arrived, [my father] was expecting to see us that day. And I think sometimes people just hold on to see somebody,' he said.

'Once he realised we were not coming, he tanked. He was then rushed to hospital immediately, where he still is.

'I have not heard one person who has said maybe they are right they making that decision. Everyone is livid, everyone is mad, everyone is sad for us and the situation. It is not just us, other people have been affected in the same way.'

Ms Kilian said she and her husband had even offered to wear hazmat suits and tracking devices in order to make the trip possible.

'We both got our second doses of the vaccine in April, so that's two months ago, and we got tested before we flew here in Los Angeles and on our arrival in Sydney we had another test - and both of those tests were negative,' she said.

'It's just so terribly sad.'