On Australia Day, hundreds of residents joined with Cowra Shire Council to send a message to politicians that they are 100 per cent behind the Lai family. Jung (John) Chun Lai, his wife and three children have lived in Australia for nine years, and members of the Cowra community for the past six years.
John Lai runs a market garden and recently gained national media coverage when he was interviewed as part of the ABC radio’s Australia All Over program. John spoke about his produce and how he takes it to various local markets but not that the family was facing deportation within weeks.
For a number of years, Cowra Council has been supporting the Lai family in their efforts to become permanent residents. The family’s original business visa type is no longer used, but it has some stringent requirements regarding business set up, profitability and so forth. With local farmers struggling under the pressures of the drought, it is a hard call to expect the Lai family business to have done any better.
Mayor Bruce Miller said that the Lai family contribute to and are deeply involved in the local community.
“They are respected by the people of Cowra and in short we want this family to stay,” he said.
With national media coverage leading to wide support and ongoing lobbying by the Cowra community, Council is very hopefully of a favourable response from the Immigration Department.
