Caitlyn Jenner has come under fire after reportedly flying into Sydney - despite strict caps on arrival numbers due to COVID-19 - where she is rumoured to be joining the cast of Big Brother VIP.
According to Australian media, the controversial reality television star and former Olympic athlete touched down in New South Wales last week as the state remains in lockdown, gripped by the latest coronavirus outbreak.
Jenner, 71, secured a way in despite strict caps on arrival numbers which have seen a reported 34,000 Australians stranded overseas jostling for just 3000 weekly spots, down from 6500 earlier in July. Airfares from the US to Australia are currently astronomically high - some are listed for as much as AU$30,000 - but that is unlikely to be a problem for Jenner, whose net worth is estimated to be around US$100 million.
Sam Clench, a US correspondent for news.com.au, aired his frustration with Jenner's arrival on Twitter, where many echoed his sentiments.
"My wife's flight home to Australia was cancelled today due to the arrival caps but nice to see Caitlyn Jenner (who's supposedly running for governor of California) managed to get into Sydney to appear on Big Brother," he wrote.
"This is heartbreaking for #strandedaussies and a disgusting display of what matters in Oz these days," one reply read. "Cue zero outrage - Good to know my country values celebs over my right to hug my terminally ill mum one last time."
"My sister, husband (both fully vaccinated) and their baby have been trying for months to get a flight back. Shame they’re not celebrities where the rules clearly don't apply," reads another tweet.
"So my mother who is technically living here can't enter Australia but @Caitlyn_Jenner who has no reason to be here other than to secure some money in her bank can enter Australia? How is this fair to your citizens?" a third questioned Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Channel Seven has not yet confirmed Jenner's spot on the Big Brother VIP lineup, but she is rumored to be pocketing US$500,000 for just a week's filming on the show.
A spokesperson Stranded Aussies Action Network called for more transparency around who was flying into the country, calling Jenner's arrival "a slap in the face" for Australians struggling to get home.
"But it's not the celebrities that are to blame, it's the failed government policies that allows this to happen," they said.
Jenner is reportedly undergoing two week quarantine at a hotel, but it's not yet clear if she nabbed the spot of an Australian, or organised the isolation at her own expense, as some other celebrities have done.
The former Keeping Up With The Kardashians star is currently running for Governor of California, and in an interview on Fox News over the weekend declared her support for Donald Trump if he were to run for President again in 2024.
The transgender celebrity made headlines in May when she revealed she opposed transgender girls participating in sports at school level.
"It's an issue of fairness and we need to protect girls' sports in our schools," she said at the time.
Meanwhile, UK commentator Katie Hopkins, a fellow Trump supporter who was also reportedly set to star in Big Brother VIP, will be deported from Australia after she boasted about breaching the country's hotel quarantine rules on social media.
