LIVES ON HOLD: ‘Muru’
Asylum seekers are spending years in limbo as they wait for their claims to be processed. Muru (not his real name), a Sri Lankan national, was a young man of 25 when he arrived in Australia by boat.
He had turned 40 by the time he was finally granted the right to stay. I came to Australia in 2009, 16 years ago. I am now 41, then I was a young
man. My parents worry that I’m getting old. When I arrived in Australia, I spent 30 months in detention, six months on Christmas Island (from October 2, 2009), two years in Villawood in Sydney and two years in community detention in Perth.
I got my Permanent Resident (PR) visa in October 2024. I was on a Bridging Visa E till I got my PR. Once my travel documents are finalised, I can go to
India to meet my parents there. I cannot afford to go to meet them yet, as I have only had works rights since getting my PR and, right now, I have only just enough money to live on.
I feel I am a very lucky person. I don’t worry about the past. I focus on the future. Many of my friends, from Nepal and Somalia and other Sri Lankan
Tamils, have not been granted a PR so far. Many have spent a lot of money on lawyers; one of my relatives spent $23,000 on lawyer’s fees, and still nothing.
“I have always felt safe and happy here”
Even before my PR, I felt freedom here. At one time, I was homeless for 41 days, sleeping in my car. Even then, I did not worry about anything because
I was in Australia. I have always felt safe and happy here.
I have been in Melbourne for 10 years. I came here from Perth to join friends and because I could find cash work. I have done cleaning work,
farmwork and been a kitchen hand. I can send money home to my parents.
If they are happy, I am happy.
I make money from hard rubbish that is “like gold for me”. I even carry it in two bags on public transport. Soon, when I have my Australian car licence, I
will be able to visit trash and treasure markets. There are lots of them around Melbourne.
I live in Broadmeadows now but lived in Dandenong from 2015-2019. I had some difficult times earning a living then. I was assaulted; my arm was
broken and my car damaged. I was scammed a few times and quite a few employers did not pay.
Read Muru’s story by Delia Bradshaw in full in the latest BASP newsletter here