I’m not arguing for the guy. He’s clearly made mistakes and is now paying for it, noting that he’s also served his time in addition to this. But, and I think it’s important, is it worth the effort and cost for this to go through the courts? Being terminally ill, I would have no issue if the minister exercised their right to intervene and let him live out his remaining time here with his family.

The Nadesalingam family is a very different situation and really can’t be compared to this. But, if you want to consider it from a black and white perspective (equal application as for this other person), then they are criminals as per the migration act (and UN protocols to which we are signatory to) having arrived with the assistance of people smugglers and should have been deported. They weren’t, thankfully, given their situation change due to having children (that we’re responsible for even as non-citizens), the situation in their home country that would certainly have put them at risk of persecution or at the very least found them stateless.

If we could find it in ourselves to grant clemency in that case then I think we can do the same here.