Bingara rallies behind PNG family denied protection visa after long fight to stay

Time is ticking according to Rosemary and Petrus Atep’s time in Australia.

An aged care worker and her husband who allegedly fled death threats in Papua New Guinea have become vital and valued members of a rural New South Wales community, seven years later.

But the couple and their eight children have just a few weeks to leave Australia after their protection visa application was rejected.

It came after a long five-year process.

Atep’s adopted hometown of Bingara, a town of about 1,500, has been rallying around the family and lobbying to be allowed to stay.

During their five years in Bingara, the Atep became an important element in the fabric of their community.

Ms Atep started working as a cleaner in the local aged care home before being convinced to become an aged care nursing assistant.

“There’s no nursing staff here every day, every shift, people like me are working 80 to 90 hours every other week,” he said.

Ms. Atep wants to stay in Bingara and complete her education and become a registered nurse; He’s not sure he can make it in Papua New Guinea.

However, he may have to face this situation when his family’s visa expires on December 13.

‘Threats were made’

Mr Atep works at a local supermarket and the couple’s four children, aged between 8 and 15, attend the local school.

Their lives could not have been more different from the ones they experience on Mount Hagen in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, where Mr. Atep owns a small rental car business.

Tribal conflicts are common there, he said.

“There is so much fear in Papua New Guinea, we are afraid that at any moment someone could attack us,” he said.

Atep said that the family of a man who died in an accident while driving one of his rental cars threatened physical violence against him and his family in 2017.

ABC was unable to confirm this as no report was made to Papua New Guinea police.

community rallies

The Atep family came on a visitor visa before applying for a protection visa in 2018, but the application was rejected the following year.

It took five years for the family’s application to be heard in the Court of Appeal, but the decision was confirmed on 8 November and the family is expected to be deported in mid-December.

All Saints Anglican Priest Gordon Stuart said the five-year process had made the situation even more difficult for the Atep family.

“It’s been a long time coming, it’s not too late, we first contacted the minister five years ago,” he said.

For 15-year-old Jarrod, deportation could mean the end of his dream of playing in the National Rugby League.

The talented football player said, “If I stay, my chances of staying in rugby league are quite high.”

‘No fear’ in Bingara

Mr Atep said his family lived without fear in Bingara.

“We don’t want to leave… Australia is our home,” he said.

“We have written to Home Secretary Tony Burke, this is our last hope and we await his response.”

A Home Office spokesman told the ABC it “does not comment on individual cases for reasons of confidentiality”.

“Protection visas and associated tests are set out in the legal protection framework provisions of the Australian Immigration Act 1958,” the spokesman said.

“Applicants who have exhausted all means to remain in Australia are expected to leave Australia voluntarily and may be provided with assistance to leave.”

The ministry did not provide detailed information as to why the Atep Appeals Review Court process took five years.

Potential family loss ‘devastating’

John Bishton from Bingara said the Ateps contributed a lot to the community.

“They bring a cultural aspect to Bingara that most small towns don’t have,” Mr Bishton said.

“They are involved in the local church, their children are involved in every sport there is, and they represent the school and district many times for their sporting talents.”

He said the local workforce was “horribly short” and it would be incomprehensible to lose someone like Ms Atep in the aged care sector.

Mr Bishton also fears the impact of losing four pupils would have on the town’s schools.

“This is a devastating situation; it is incredibly important that we keep these people here and the time for action is now,” he said.

There is a petition signed by more than 2,000 people in most local shops in Bingara asking for the family to be allowed to stay.

Mr. Atep is meeting with lawyers to evaluate his options.

“If the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels took care of the Australians in the Second World War, why shouldn’t Australia take care of us?”