Ms Henderson learnt of the story of the Daylesford man, who has been trying to return home for four months since the completion of a work contract in Norway, through The Courier.

Mr Barnes travelled to Norway to work on a traditional wooden rollercoaster in March 2019 which he did in order to help secure his family's future.

After Norway's lockdown took hold at the end of his contract, and flights in and around Europe to Australia were cancelled, he travelled to the United Kingdom in the hope more flights to Australia would be available.

However, he has since missed out on a seat on three separate Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) flights home as well as having three paid flights cancelled - one as he was checking in at the airport. As yet, he has not received refunds for those cancelled flights and he is now financially struggling to survive.

His children and family friends have started a fundraiser to bring him home.

Ms Henderson said: "I am very concerned about the plight of Michael Barnes after reading about his circumstances in the Ballarat Courier. I have contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and have requested urgent consular assistance for Michael."

She said the federal government had asked the Northern Territory to increase its intake of international arrivals, and was looking at chartering 20 more repatriation flights.

"As a Senator for Victoria, my office has and continues to assist many Victorians in their plight to return home."

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