Overseas travel permits rising despite Coalition pledge on tightening rules amid Covid

Guardian analysis shows more than 10% rise in monthly exemptions after state push to tighten approvals

Almost 12,000 Australians received permission to travel overseas in May, a higher rate than the preceding three months, despite the federal government promising to look at tightening exemptions.

According to a Guardian Australia analysis of Australian Border Force (ABF) statistics, some 11,879 citizens and residents were granted exemptions in May, a jump of more than 10% on the average of 10,353 a month between February and April.