Help us fight for justice and freedom for people like Joyce*

Saturday, December 14 2024

The need to protect human rights is more urgent now than ever.

Please donate to our End of Year Appeal so we can help people like Joyce*

Just months ago, Joyce, a 42-year-old woman from Papua New Guinea (PNG), was served at her home with a ‘Notice of Intention to Remove’ by Australian Border Force, telling her that she faced forced deportation from detention within weeks.

Petrified and confused, Joyce called us for help. She told us that she fled from PNG to Australia in 2016, after years of brutal family violence at the hands of her husband. She suffered severe memory and mental health conditions due to the violence.

And she lived in constant fear of return to more violence and danger at the hands of her husband – without protection – in PNG.

She applied – without any legal help – for a Protection visa to stay in Australia. Her case was refused by Home Affairs after a short telephone interview. She lost her right to appeal due to her missing the Government’s decision letter because of insecure accommodation. She only realised she’d been refused when she was cut off from Medicare.

With no appeal rights, no Medicare, and facing imminent deportation to danger, we lodged an urgent request to the Minister for Immigration, requesting reassessment of her protection case; due to the impact of the family violence and the lack of legal help, she had been unable to have proper consideration of her claims, and had been deprived of a fair hearing. We also sought an undertaking that Joyce not be deported while her case was being considered by the Minister.

Despite this, Joyce was still issued with a ‘Notice of Intention to Remove’ within two weeks – and at a cost to her of $5,357.07.

We immediately assembled a legal team and filed an urgent injunction in the Federal Court to prevent her removal. Within hours of filing, she was granted a new Bridging visa, keeping her free from detention and imminent deportation. Joyce now has work rights and access to Medicare.

Just last month, the Minister intervened to allow Joyce to lodge a new Protection visa application. With our legal help, she has now been able to properly present her claims, which are now being assessed by the Government.

We continue to work fearlessly to help people like Joyce.

Our profound thanks to the many of you who have already donated to our End of Year Appeal.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving to help people like Joyce.

With thanks and appreciation,

David Manne
Refugee Legal
CEO & Principal Solicitor

* Names and certain details have been changed to protect confidentiality.