Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With the issue of unauthorised boat arrivals and migration again at the forefront of Australian minds, both politically and through the media, I wish to raise the plight of a family on the Sunshine Coast who are in a predicament. The issue is one of who we allow into our country, and people around the country have been expressing views on this. What is also important is the type of people we want in our country. We want people who respect and obey the laws, people who are prepared to assimilate and become part of the community and we want those who are not going to be a burden on the Australian taxpayer. We want decent people.

Jannie and Amanda Klue and their two children Jan-Sari and Pieter-Nick, who arrived here from South Africa almost two years ago, would be described by many who know them as perfect immigrants. They have an incredibly high work ethic, which is demonstrated by the enormous effort they put into their convenience store business at Middy’s Shopping Centre at Buderim. They started work in the convenience store just two days after arriving in Australia on Christmas Day 2007. They have continued to work hard ever since, on most occasions putting in seven days a week, to ensure their business is a success and they do not become a burden on the taxpayers of Australia, that they create a good life for themselves and their children, and that they make an incredibly positive contribution to the community.

In conversation, the Klue family have expressed their love of Australia and have described how they have settled in well here and developed friendships in the community, and of how their children have also made friends at the local Buderim Mountain State School. They are passionate about the Buderim community and describe Australia as the best country on earth. Through their past experiences of living in South Africa, a nation plagued by crime, living in a home behind razor wire and with CCTV security cameras, they now very much appreciate the high level of freedom that most Australians love and that some others here unfortunately take for granted.

In spite of the benefits to Australia of these new arrivals, the family now finds itself in a situation where they may have to leave Australia due to a visa anomaly. They had applied for a state-sponsored business visa which required they had business assets prior to application totalling $300,000 in value. They owned two businesses in South Africa involved in microfinancing but, unfortunately, in spite of a letter from Mr Klue’s attorney, the immigration case officer has since rejected one of those businesses as it was not registered—but it is not required to be registered in South Africa.

As a result, the family no longer meets the requirements of the visa and has been issued with a voluntary exit visa. The Sunshine Coast immigration agent Mick Bull is assisting the family and doing a wonderful job in exploring all possible avenues. I have spoken to the office of the minister, Senator Evans, and I want to commend the minister for the way he is looking at this family’s plight. Mr Klue has sung the high praises of the department, and we hope that this problem can be sorted and that this wonderful family will be able to remain in Australia, become Australian citizens and make a further contribution to our nation. (Time expired)