Eric Vavaki was paralysed when a car he was a passenger in was involved in a serious motor vehicle collision. He now faces homelessness and deportation to the Solomon Islands.

Eric paid taxes in Australia for years before being paralysed below the waist in an accident that was no fault of his own. If Eric is deported to the Solomon Islands, he will face a grim future with few Disability Support Services, no wheelchair access and extremely limited health care resources.

When I saw his story on the ABC, I was deeply moved and decided to start this petition. I'm urging the Queensland government to cover his rent while he retrains and recovers from the accident. The Federal government must grant this man a visa so he can rebuild his life here.

For four years before the accident, he worked as a deckhand on trawlers — often the only worker beside the skipper — with dreams of becoming a permanent resident. 

While he is eligible for the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland (NIISQ), which is designed to assist people seriously injured in motor accidents, the scheme will not cover rent until he is well again.

A hardworking man like him needs support to train in an alternate career pathway. He just needs help paying his rent while he retrains in the fisheries sector.

As his lawyer said, “someone who has paid taxes for years and should not be left without shelter by the publicly funded scheme that is designed to protect people in his situation.” (from ABC)

Please sign this petition in support of Eric Vavaki. Allow him to stay in Australia and retrain in an alternate career pathway whilst accessing the support he so clearly requires. 

This will allow him to continue to function as a contributing member of our society and show that Australia is an empathetic country that gives hard-workers a "fair go".

You can donate to Eric through the GoFundMe set up for him, or promote the petition to help increase the petition's reach.