Australia’s disability discrimination commissioner has called on the immigration minister, Alex Hawke, to intervene “in a humane way” in a case in which a family is facing deportation because their six-year-old son has a disability. He said the immigration minister had the power to intervene in visa cases and was hopeful “the minister would exercise their discretion in a humane way in this instance”. “I would hope the minister would understand the importance of exercising their discretion or waiving visa conditions in this instance,” Gauntlett said. Steele-John, who also has cerebral palsy, said it was wrong to view people with disabilities as a cost to health system. “In fact, it’s something that can people can receive support for so they can in fact contribute to society.”The immigration minister was approached for comment.

Source: The Guardian March 24, 2021 02:15 UTC