In response to the column where Joel Cabides was featured in your November 2007 issue, I am a bit concerned that the case hasn’t been responded by the Immigration minister. I am glad that there are some concerned Filipino Australians who wrote a letter to Mr. Nelson.
In my opinion, granting a permanent residency for medical reason is not that simple. The government is weighing the consequences as well. Giving a permanent residency to a disabled person is a liability to the Australian government. Reasons for implantable devices are not good enough as this cost only $5 to $10 thousand dollars. I am a registered nurse and work in the spinal unit of Royal North Shore Hospital. The device that prevents him to have a spasm can be reloaded every 6 months. Therefore they (Immigrations) will prefer to send him back home rather than keep him here because the nurses who will be with him 24/7 plus the ventilator, bed and house will cost more for the government. Frankly speaking, I don’t think that Australia will invest on this because even if one is a citizen, there is a long queue for the grant.
The best advice I can give is to hire an Australian lawyer to sue the Royal Military College for compensation because this event happened in the school premises and it is part of the activity of the college. The Royal Military College has insurance coverage for each student in the campus. Joel Cabides is entitled to that, if it is true that the accident happened under the supervisor’s instruction. They can get a lawyer for “No Pay No Win” situation. Then he can just apply for residency if he can get the compensation for the bond. They need to get the best lawyer as it seems to be the one who’s doing the follow-up of the case doesn’t know the Australian law and its health care system.
Thank you for your attention to this letter. I hope that this can be of help for Joel and his family. I have studied the legal system of Australia and its healthcare system and I would like to share my knowledge to my kababayan to get an immediate response to their concerns.
Lucy Azares
Bella Vista Waters, NSW
(As of press time, Philippine Tribune has received word from a spokesman of the Department of Immigration telling us that the matter has been resolved. – Editor)
Right now it looks like Drupal is the best blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?