I usually got up around 5:30am and use a computer until 7:30am then go to brekkie. This morning's job was sending an email to the Court informing that I submitted the Amended Originating Application and asking the court for arranging a pro bono lawyer for an early hearing before Christmas. I told my intention of this application to the Minister's expensive lawyers last week so they must be happily negotiating with the Minister for extra fees.
I have not been able to assemble my legal team since my faulty pro bono solicitor stuffed up. My Partner has been furious against the lawyer. I am not. I used him knowing that he was liable for malpractice as a migration agent. One of my former colleagues in a law school taught students 'if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys'. You can't be angry at a monkey.
Anyway, one of the public interest clearing houses and a legal aid that I applied for assistance 17 days ago will get back to me shortly. I asked the court to get a lawyer for me. So it should be fine. If the court does not want a lawyer in my case, then I do not need a lawyer. The docket judge heard a number of similar cases previously so he does not need anyone to tell him what the law is.
A totally different topic. I received a question from one of my readers.
'What did they do to be there (Villawood)?'
Well, the question is apparently based on the assumption that people were detained because they did something wrong. Well, it may well be the case for some. But the one from whom I heard his story recently 'did not do anything' as opposed to 'did something', it seems.
One guy I met is a Bangladeshi. He came to Australia on a 457 visa. According to him, most of his colleagues applied for and were granted a permanent visa. But he did not apply for a permanent visa because he did not want to be here anymore. So he is an overstayer. I asked him why he did not want to apply for a permanent visa because he can leave this country even if he holds a visa. His answer was he didn't like Australia because people change their attitude as soon as they see his skin colour so he wanted to go back. His answer does not make sense. I don't know why he did not go back by himself but my guessing is that he did not have money to apply for an expensive permanent visa or buying a ticket to go back to Bangladesh. By doing nothing, he can get a free flight home with a bit of money for accommodation in his home country for the first whatever weeks of his return, all paid by the Immigration. He is not a typical detainee. But there are many different people here.
I had a bit of drama today. No, two dramas. Drama one. My stuff was stolen. This morning, half a box of my cotton buds disappeared. Even before this morning, I have noticed that my hair conditioning oil reduces rapidly and instant noodles I kept in my room have gone missing. This trend seems to be continuing and getting worse. So I decided to take action before anything important is stolen.
I asked other detainees on the floor whether they saw anyone came into my room and told them that my stuff was stolen. They immediately told me that it was my roommate. According to them, she is a serial thief and was kicked out of other people's rooms before shovelled into my room. I went to the guard's station and told one of the guards whom I had often chat with about what happened. He told me that everyone steals from each other here. Gee. Never happened in 2006. I told him that just cotton buds were not important but I would kick up as big a fuss as possible to prevent further stealing.
Then I wrote a complaint form, an email to the case manager and then went to see my roommate. I told her that my stuff had been stolen and other people had said that it was her and asked her whether she did it. I told her that it was not good to have such a reputation as that would be a good enough reason for the Immigration to refuse to grant her a visa on the character ground. I told her that the Immigration does not need conviction or charge or even evidence to deny her a visa forever, but a complaint in the detention centre is sufficient. She was quiet. All I said to her is true. She eventually said that it was not her but her facial expression told me otherwise. The centre manager came to speak to me in the afternoon and told me that he would find a room for myself. Good.
Drama two. Detainees had a big (but peaceful) protest. They refused to have lunch demanding better food. According to a guard I spoke, during his time here for two years, he has never seen or heard about a protest. So it is a rare occasion. Only a Brazilian boy and I had lunch. The Brazilian boy who came here two days ago could not believe that others complained about the food. He said there was no food in Brazil. While I was there, the centre manager came and agreed to speak to the ABF. When I went to see a visitor and came back three hours later, most detainees had already gone back to their normal life. Only the leaders were there. They were still waiting for the ABF to come to the phone of the centre manager.
I will find out what eventually happened when I go to dinner.
I have not been able to assemble my legal team since my faulty pro bono solicitor stuffed up. My Partner has been furious against the lawyer. I am not. I used him knowing that he was liable for malpractice as a migration agent. One of my former colleagues in a law school taught students 'if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys'. You can't be angry at a monkey.
Anyway, one of the public interest clearing houses and a legal aid that I applied for assistance 17 days ago will get back to me shortly. I asked the court to get a lawyer for me. So it should be fine. If the court does not want a lawyer in my case, then I do not need a lawyer. The docket judge heard a number of similar cases previously so he does not need anyone to tell him what the law is.
A totally different topic. I received a question from one of my readers.
'What did they do to be there (Villawood)?'
Well, the question is apparently based on the assumption that people were detained because they did something wrong. Well, it may well be the case for some. But the one from whom I heard his story recently 'did not do anything' as opposed to 'did something', it seems.
One guy I met is a Bangladeshi. He came to Australia on a 457 visa. According to him, most of his colleagues applied for and were granted a permanent visa. But he did not apply for a permanent visa because he did not want to be here anymore. So he is an overstayer. I asked him why he did not want to apply for a permanent visa because he can leave this country even if he holds a visa. His answer was he didn't like Australia because people change their attitude as soon as they see his skin colour so he wanted to go back. His answer does not make sense. I don't know why he did not go back by himself but my guessing is that he did not have money to apply for an expensive permanent visa or buying a ticket to go back to Bangladesh. By doing nothing, he can get a free flight home with a bit of money for accommodation in his home country for the first whatever weeks of his return, all paid by the Immigration. He is not a typical detainee. But there are many different people here.
I had a bit of drama today. No, two dramas. Drama one. My stuff was stolen. This morning, half a box of my cotton buds disappeared. Even before this morning, I have noticed that my hair conditioning oil reduces rapidly and instant noodles I kept in my room have gone missing. This trend seems to be continuing and getting worse. So I decided to take action before anything important is stolen.
I asked other detainees on the floor whether they saw anyone came into my room and told them that my stuff was stolen. They immediately told me that it was my roommate. According to them, she is a serial thief and was kicked out of other people's rooms before shovelled into my room. I went to the guard's station and told one of the guards whom I had often chat with about what happened. He told me that everyone steals from each other here. Gee. Never happened in 2006. I told him that just cotton buds were not important but I would kick up as big a fuss as possible to prevent further stealing.
Then I wrote a complaint form, an email to the case manager and then went to see my roommate. I told her that my stuff had been stolen and other people had said that it was her and asked her whether she did it. I told her that it was not good to have such a reputation as that would be a good enough reason for the Immigration to refuse to grant her a visa on the character ground. I told her that the Immigration does not need conviction or charge or even evidence to deny her a visa forever, but a complaint in the detention centre is sufficient. She was quiet. All I said to her is true. She eventually said that it was not her but her facial expression told me otherwise. The centre manager came to speak to me in the afternoon and told me that he would find a room for myself. Good.
Drama two. Detainees had a big (but peaceful) protest. They refused to have lunch demanding better food. According to a guard I spoke, during his time here for two years, he has never seen or heard about a protest. So it is a rare occasion. Only a Brazilian boy and I had lunch. The Brazilian boy who came here two days ago could not believe that others complained about the food. He said there was no food in Brazil. While I was there, the centre manager came and agreed to speak to the ABF. When I went to see a visitor and came back three hours later, most detainees had already gone back to their normal life. Only the leaders were there. They were still waiting for the ABF to come to the phone of the centre manager.
I will find out what eventually happened when I go to dinner.