00:00couple are facing deportation from Australia after Jessica Mathes was
00:04diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It comes after the pair settled down, down
00:08under in 2017. It was going to be their home but they've now been told they
00:12might have to move. So let's join them, let's speak to them now. We're joined by
00:16both Jessica Mathes and Rob O'Leary. Morning to you both and thank you so
00:21much. We were really touched by your story. So Jessica, you're only young, I
00:26think you're only 30 are you? So it must have been a terrible shock diagnosis to
00:31get MS. Yeah I mean you don't really hear of people getting it diagnosed that
00:37young but also they are getting just better at diagnosing it and more better
00:41treatments are coming out now so I'm feeling quite lucky that it won't be
00:45such a severe case in the future. So are you already on medication Jessica? Yeah I
00:52was diagnosed three years ago and I've been on medication. I've been on
00:55Ocrevus which is like a six-monthly infusion I get in hospital every six
01:00months. Now Rob you're very clearly not Australian, we can hear that from the
01:04accent, but you've lived there for a little while now. Tell us what's going on.
01:08You settled in in Australia, whereabouts are you and what have the authorities
01:12said to you about your future there? Well look so we've been here nearly 10 years
01:17now and ever since Jessica was diagnosed that was when we kind of found out
01:22through the immigration department just by an email that we might not be able to stay
01:28in the country due to Jessica's diagnosis. Obviously with that email
01:33there was no kind of consideration of our previous life it was kind of we're
01:38basing it off what's happened there and that was kind of it. So made the whole
01:46future really uncertain for us you know like I can't really progress, I couldn't
01:50progress with my business, Jess struggled with work so it's been a
01:53difficult situation you know. And Rob just so explain because a lot of people
01:56won't realise there's no NHS in Australia like we have here so you have to pay a
02:01contribution at least towards Jess's care. We pay like a Medicare levy via our
02:09taxes but generally we pay towards our appointments yes and any associated costs
02:17that aren't included with tests. And so that's the logic from the Australian
02:21government is I'm really sorry but you're going to be very expensive to
02:24keep here and therefore you're going to have to go back to the UK. Yeah yeah
02:29that's correct that is pretty much like how it is and that's how it's
02:34explained in the written documents we've got you know. So I don't meet the
02:39Medicare minimum requirements for the visa. And haven't you also said you'll
02:46pay for your own care you'll pay more towards the private section of your care
02:51effectively? Yeah that's correct when we first appealed it we said is there an
02:57option to boost our private health care or to even pay for the treatment then
03:01it's not that isn't an option there's not something that they allow for it's
03:06kind of black and white the law is doesn't allow for any consideration any
03:13compassionate grounds you know that's what we're kind of thinking against
03:16saying that this should be. And you're both appealing Jessica and Rob but what
03:20are you doing now to try to fight this? So we obviously started the
03:25petition. If you're listening on the radio there's a JustGiving site is it
03:33JustGiving please do not deport me and my partner change.org please not deport
03:38me and my partner so you're looking for donations are you to help you fight this
03:40legally? So it's donations towards the change campaign so it's not money that
03:46we would receive it's just to promote it within change so people will get emails
03:49with our petition and you know if they like similar cases or similar subjects.
03:54Okay so it's not a fundraiser as such it's a petition to try and change it not
03:59just for you but for everybody. What happens next and what kind of time scale
04:03are you looking at? The government of we basically actually got rejected 18
04:08months ago and we have been waiting ever since and we've not really heard anything
04:12we haven't even received a tribunal date so at present we're waiting on the
04:16tribunal date because the minister has since I started the petition said that
04:20and he won't do anything until after that. Okay all right well look we wish
04:25you all the best keep us posted won't you Jessica Mathers and Rob O'Leary there.
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