Perth,
Western Australia
(Old Edition)
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Baby bounced
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His only other choice is to stay in Nedlands while his wife and daughter, who has Down syndrome, leave the country. The club says it has no obligation to add the family of an employee to his extended work visa application. Simon Tipple, a greenkeeper at the club, has been told that while the club will sponsor his visa application, it will not sponsor his family. Mr Tipple's daughter Abigail was born in Australia 20 months after he and wife Catharina arrived in Perth from the UK. "They will not give me an official reason but it is my belief that it is because little Abi is different," Mr Tipple said . He decided to speak out after the story of a German doctor working in rural NSW for three years was denied permanent residency because his son had Down Syndrome. The story made headlines around the world. "Like the Moeller family, we answered the call for skilled workers and uprooted ourselves; now we have adapted and fallen in love with Australia," Mr Tipple said. Peter Bowler, manager of Nedlands Golf Club, says the club sought immigration advice and was told it did not have to sponsor the family. "We did say we would put him on a visa but it had nothing to do with his family," Mr Bowler said. "We never thought we were obliged to do that and we wished not to." The 457 long-stay work visa was introduced to address the skills shortage and allow employers to sponsor skilled overseas workers to work in Australia. It allows workers to bring any eligible secondary applicants with them to Australia who can work or study. But Mr Bowler said the club did not want to be responsible for other members of Mr Tipple's family. "On the 457 you've got to pay for any debts they incur and need to pay for their airfare when they go back," he said. "And we didn't want to be committed to that or be involved with his family at all." Employers must also cover the cost of medical issues while their employees are in Australia. But Mr Tipple said his private health insurance covered Abigail and she would not be a burden to taxpayers. "Abi's condition has never ever been an issue," he said. "In the beginning we thought about whether we should go home and be with family but we thought no, we can do this. "We had to be pretty tough in the beginning because like a lot of babies with Down Syndrome, Abi had a hole in her heart that needed repairing, but since then it's been thumbs-up all the way. "We're getting there and obviously Abi has occupational therapy and speech therapy, and everyone's telling us she's doing well." Although Abigail was born in Australia and has an Australian birth certificate, because her parents don't have permanent residency she travels on their passports. Catharina and Abigail will have 28 days to leave the country if Mr Tipple is unable to secure a job with a company that would sponsor him and his family. A qualified horticulturalist, Mr Tipple specialises in sports turfs and his expertise is in high demand. "Like many English people we fell in love with Perth and want to stay," he said. "Catharina fell pregnant and everything was joyous. "When Abigail was born we never thought her differences would be a problem so we built up the support structures she needs." He said he told Mr Bowler about Abigail at his initial interview and it was his understanding that the club was still keen to employ him and sponsor the family. Mr Tipple said: "It is my belief that they have reneged on the deal and after 18 months I feel I have been exploited. "They were fully aware that I was looking for family sponsorship and my child had Down Syndrome. "In the end they've just turned around and said no." Mr Bowler denied they had offered the family sponsorship. He said: "The family bit didn't come into until later in the piece. "We weren't even aware that his family had a problem and it had nothing to do with his employment with us. "It made no difference; we only found out the baby had Down Syndrome a few months down the track. "We've never met them and never seen them." Mr and Mrs Tipple were called to a meeting with the Immigration Department earlier this week. "We already started our permanent visa application that would make sponsorship unnecessary," Mr Tipple said, "and they called us in and apologised for having to hear about the German doctor's situation in the media. "They've told us that although our application would be automatically rejected, under law we can lodge an appeal because Down Syndrome is not considered the same condition it once was. "We have private medical insurance for overseas workers which we've used in the past and will continue to do so." |
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