An uncertain future

THE Swan Hill community has rallied around an Afghani asylum seeker whose permanent visa application was refused.

One of thousands of asylum seekers who have seen their visa applications rejected in recent months, Rohullah Hussaini arrived in Australia on August 11, 2012.

Currently living in Swan Hill and working as a gardener at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club, his hometown is the city of Ghazni in Afghanistan, about 150km out of the capital Kabul.

As a Hazara man, it became more and more dangerous for Mr Hussaini to remain in the country.

The Hazara people, primarily from the central highland region of Hazarajat in Afghanistan — which includes Ghazni Province — have been systematically persecuted in their country of origin for centuries.

These conditions have seen them become one of the largest groups of refugee people to seek asylum in countries that include Australia.

“I had a very bad situation in Afghanistan, I had to leave because I could not live there anymore,” Mr Hussaini said.

“We know [the trip to Australia by boat] is dangerous, but there is no choice, we don’t have any other way.

“I am happy now [in Swan Hill].”

He recently applied for a permanent visa, but was refused.

When notified of the refusal, Mr Hussaini said he was told his account of his situation was conflicting, and that it was safe for him to return to Afghanistan.

“We know [the trip to Australia by boat] is dangerous, but there is no choice, we don’t have any other way. I am happy now [in Swan Hill]…”

However, when his application documents were returned to him, he found that the documents were not even his own and seem to have been mixed up with a Sri Lankan man who was also seeking asylum.

Mr Hussaini is unsure of where or when the mix-up occurred, but believes it is the reason for being told his story did not match up.

He is continuing to fight the refusal, and now has the support of the Swan Hill community.

A number of letters have been sent to Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison requesting him to intervene on the visa refusal.

“Because he has been rejected for permanent residency by the Refugee [Review Tribunal], and would expect to be targeted by the Taliban on re-entry to Afghanistan, we ask that you intervene on the council’s decision,” one letter reads.

Swan Hill Uniting Church Community Issues Group convener Jill Pattenden said no response had been received from Mr Morrison so far.

“[Mr Hussaini] has had no response, we had no response — [the department] don’t respond,” Ms Pattenden said.

“We’ve handed the letter to Andrew Broad but he hasn’t responded.

“So many of them have been rejected — I don’t know why, when we know the Taliban went through and decimated the area.”

A spokesperson for Mr Morrison did not indicate if the letters had been received by his office.

They said the department was not aware of the mix-up with paperwork.

“Mr Hussaini’s visa was refused because he did not engage Australia’s protection obligations,” the spokesperson said.

“The minsiter is advised that, in this case, the applicant sought review from the Refugee Review Tribunal. This matter is currently before the tribunal.

“The minister is advised that departmental records do not indicate that a mix-up has occurred.”

Member for Mallee Andrew Broad told The Guardian his “office does not comment on individual enquiries”.

“With immigration enquiries, we always seek details from the department and assist where we can,” he said when asked about what he could do to help Mr Hussaini.