No Man Should Die Without a State

Robert Jovicic is a man without state.
Born of Serbian parents, he arrived in Australia from France when he was two years old. He has lived 36 of his 38 years in Australia.

In 2004,Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock deported him on character grounds after he was jailed for several burglaries to support a heroin addiction.

Desperate to return to his home country, he camps outside the Australian embassy every night.His health is not good, and his family believe he will die if not returned home before the onset of European winter.

He speaks no Serbian & only speaks English,with,as you'd expect,an Australian accent.He wants to come home to his family in Melbourne.
The Serbian gov't do not recognise him as a citizen,& as a result he cannot work, receive welfare or medical services & is virtually destitute
Effectively,he has been dumped there,in a country that is an absolute stranger to him.

If he lacks Australian citizenship,he is an Australian in all the ways that matter-his family is there & he knows no other home.

While in many cases it is reasonable for a nation to exclude criminals from residency in order to uphold the rule of law & national security,I believe this is a case that warrants mercy. Addiction is a terrible illness This man is too unwell to be a threat. Without access to housing or medical care his situation is dire.No man should be left to die without a state.

Australians have long prided themselves on being a land that gives people "a fair go". I urge the Prime Minister to show that justice can be tempered with mercy,and give this ill man a 'fair go'at staying alive,by simply being allowed to COME HOME.