A Northern Rivers family might be forced to leave their life behind without direct intervention by the Minister for Immigration, Tony Burke. The de Silva family have been living locally since 2020, contributing significantly to local businesses and to disaster recovery.
In 2023, Hansa de Silva missed the deadline to apply due to the impacts of COVID and then the 2022 Flood Disaster. Since then the family have been engaged in an expensive and lengthy legal process to try and secure permanent residency. Now the only option remaining to them is ministerial intervention.
‘We arrived in Australia in early 2020, ready to work hard and build a future here. I am a chef and I have always been committed to working in regional communities where skilled workers like me are needed,’ said Mr de Silva.
‘I secured a sponsored position at The Channon Tavern, but when it was flooded in 2022, I suddenly found myself without a job. Eventually I found stable employment at the Eltham Hotel, and I have been there ever since.
‘Once we got through all the delays that resulted from Covid and from the floods, my application for permanent residency was refused on age grounds because I had just turned 45 when I finished working the required three years. To rub salt in the wound, only a few weeks later the employment time required was reduced to two years.
‘Without all these delays and the impacts of so many things outside of our control, we would be permanent residents now,’ he said.
‘We have done everything we can to build a stable life here for our family. We are so worn out, and we are devastated that we might need to leave this community that we love so much.’
Resilient Lismore
Hansa’s wife Kathrin de Silva works with local disaster recovery charity, Resilient Lismore, helping people rebuild their homes and lives, and strengthening the region’s preparedness for future disasters.
‘I am the Director of Operations with Resilient Lismore,’ she said. ‘It’s incredibly busy and challenging work but I know that the organisation is making a big difference locally and I am very proud of the work that I do there.
‘I also volunteer with local community groups, and I teach yoga classes to support community wellbeing. We are passionate about bush-regeneration and growing food, our two children are thriving academically at Richmond River High School, participating in local sport and building their futures in Australia.
‘Our family has worked so hard to establish our lives here, but this process has nearly broken us. We have spent thousands and thousands of dollars paying lawyers to help us deal with a situation that we had no control over, that has been made worse by administration and shifting goal posts, it feels very unfair.
‘We have secured support letters from so many people to help with our appeal, including Janelle Saffin, MP for Lismore, and Kevin Hogan, MP for Page. Everyone we talk to about this situation understands that we have done everything we can possibly do and we are only being refused on a technicality,’ she said.
Eltham Hotel
‘As an employer operating in a regional area, it’s a real struggle to find qualified chefs,’ said said Matt Rabbidge, co-owner of the Eltham Hotel. ‘Hansa is an excellent chef, and he has a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry. If Hansa was a permanent resident, we would be very relieved. We are worried that we will lose him.
‘Regional businesses like ours need skilled people who are committed to living and working locally. Hansa is very important to our business, and his family have established strong connections in the Northern Rivers, we are supporting their case, and we are very hopeful that the ,inister will intervene so they can stay.’
Elly Bird, Resilient Lismore’s Executive Director, said ‘If Kathrin and her family left Australia, it would be very difficult to find someone with enough understanding of our community who also has her significant management skills.
‘We are at a critical time for the sustainability of our organisation and if we lost her, it would be a huge blow at a time that we really need to focus on our ongoing community recovery and on building resilience.
Ms Bird said she had no hesitation in joining the family’s call in asking Minister Burke to intervene in their case, so that they can stay in our community.
‘This family are making significant contributions here and they should be permitted to stay, given that circumstances surrounding their application have been outside of their control.’
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