Refugee starts 1,000km walk to Sydney to raise awareness

Neil Para is setting off on the longest and most important walk of his life.  

He began a 1,000-kilometre journey from Ballarat to the Prime Minister's electoral office in Sydney, to bring attention to refugee families living in limbo while seeking permanent residency in Australia. 

Para, his wife, and three daughters have lived in the regional Victorian city of Ballarat for more than nine years with no visa, meaning they have no right to work, study, or access Medicare.

Para is one of about 12,500 people who have lived in Australia for more than a decade, but are ineligible to apply for permanent residency under the new Resolution of Status visa — about 2,500 have no visa at all.

Para fled Sri Lanka during the civil war in 2008, leaving in the middle of the night for Malaysia, fearing for his life.

He and his wife, Sugaa, had two young daughters, and she was eight months pregnant when they travelled by boat to Australia in 2012. 

The family spent time in a detention centre in Darwin, then community detention, before being released on a bridging visa in September 2013, when they moved to Ballarat. 

Para was able to work while on a bridging visa for four months, until their application for protection was rejected and their visa was revoked. 

The family has relied on generous community members to pay their rent and cover bills for almost 10 years, while they've lodged appeals against the rejection and applications for ministerial intervention. 

Para said not having access to Medicare had deprived her children of their childhood, as she didn't allow them to do things that carried the risk of getting hurt, like jumping on the bed or climbing a tree.

While youngest daughter Nive is now an Australian citizen, the family is at risk of deportation at any time. 

ara is planning to walk about 30 kilometres each day with the goal to arrive by September 9. 

More than 100 volunteers will be part of the journey, driving his support vehicle and offering him a place to stay each night. 

Para has gathered more than 11,500 signatures on an online petition to deliver to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on arrival in Sydney. 

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said in a statement it would not comment on individual cases due to privacy obligations. 

The spokesperson said each case was assessed on its merits, taking into account individual circumstances and the most current and relevant country of origin information.