Australia's "Fair Go"... apparently not for all.

My little god-daughter turned 2 today. We had a lovely little birthday party.


But the signs of tiredness are really beginning to show on Nehema's 20-year-old mother, Jane.

Arriving pregnant to Australia as a refugee from Sudan just over 2 years ago, Jane has made a wonderful home for herself and her daughter here in Brisbane. She has faced all the challenges of single-motherhood with such strength and positivity that never ceases to amaze me. The only thing is Jane is not single. Her partner Michael, Nehema's father, is still living in the refugee camp in Kenya. Since Nehema's birth, my family have been trying to sponsor Michael to come to Australia. This involves a decent chunk of money and a seemingly never-ending pile of paperwork which should have resulted in Michael being able to live and work here but receive no benefits from the government. We thought the process was finally coming to an end.

Two weeks ago, the Australian embassy wrote to Michael to tell him his application was canceled and not to contact the office again. No explanation. No person to talk to. Just a letter that has dramatically changed the course of 3 people's lives.

Even if there is a legitimate reason to reject Michael's application (which we don't know because they have not been kind enough to tell us), that is NOT the way to treat any human being.

And our government wants to test new citizens for Australian "Fair Go" values... !