In a letter to McKim,Giles said he had asked Home Affairs to review the significant cost threshold,to be led by the department’s chief medical officer.
Several families have faced deportation in recent years,with a ministerial waiver often being the only way to stay.
Giles,who has criticised the approach to migration health requirements as not meeting community expectations,told the Greens he had “positively intervened” in all cases that have come before him.
One such family was the Perth-based Butt family. Giles’ intervention ended a years-long battle after their son Shaffan,now nine years old,was born with a genetic condition,chondrodysplasia punctata,which left him paralysed.
Shaffan’s father Qasim,a manager at a solar installation company,said Giles’ intervention earlier this year removed the “sword hanging” over his son’s head. He said while he and his family were trying their best to contribute to Australian life,the law was not on their side.
“I’m so grateful,but as a human being,as a person,I pray to God no one will be in this situation if they have a kid with a disability,” he said,pleading with the government to change the law. “Please,we need to look after the children.”
Krishna Aneesh,a cybersecurity expert – a skill sorely needed in Australia – alsofaced deportation with her family because her son Aaryan has an intellectual disability and Down syndrome.
“They haven’t even considered what we are contributing to the society,how we are integrated within the society[and that] we are also tax-paying,” she told Nine News in March before the minister intervened.
Down Syndrome Australia chief executive Darryl Steff said while the migration system’s ability to discriminate against disabled visa holders should ultimately be removed,the government should immediately double the cost threshold,remove the cost of education as a factor and make waivers available for all types of visas.
In his letter,Giles said the review would include how costs are calculated,which expenses were included in the tally and where thresholds are set.
“In the meantime,any child born in Australia and adversely affected by the migration health rules can apply for ministerial intervention after merits review. As minister,I prioritise these cases and have positively intervened in all such cases that have come before me,” he said in the letter.
The deal with the Greens is part of a broader set of migration reforms being rolled out by Labor,which wants to strengthen Australia’s role in the region by allowing Pacific Island nationals greater job opportunities and the opportunity to permanently migrate.
The Pacific Engagement Visa would bring in 3000 Pacific nationals annually,a measure Fijian deputy prime minister Biman Prasad has urged the government not to delay any further.
“These steps for deeper integration should not be delayed any more,” Prasad,an economist,said last week. “Given the existential threat from climate change in many Pacific Island counties,it is time to think of new ideas.”
On a state visit to Canberra,Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka described the temporary Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme as “a temporary solution to the employment and unemployment problem we have a home”.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news,views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weeklyInside Politics newsletter here.