Dear Mr Prime Minister....

Copied below is a letter that I emailed to our prime minister Mr John Howard on the 25th of September 2006. I did get an automated reply acknowledging receipt of my communication but as yet have had no other response ... maybe those who believe that it is appropriate for the government to expend public resources for Australians overseas who are paedophiles, drug traffickers, terrorist trainees could let me know how they got the media's and governments attention so I can do the same for innocent and vulnerable Australian children and women prevented from safely returning home by former spouses and jurisdiction who find violence against children and women acceptable.
( To keep us safe and protect our privacy I have deleted the name of the province and provincial minister, otherwise the following is the same information communicated via the prime mimister's email connection available at his website www.pm.gov.au .)

“Canadian Nine?!”

Many are familiar with the extensive news coverage nine Australians trapped in a foreign country have received … the public, the media and many politicians have clamoured for the Australian government to assist and protect the “Bali Nine”.But let me tell you about nine Australians trapped in a foreign country who aren’t getting assistance, who the government says it has no responsibility for and the media and politicians are not talking about. Because they are in a province in Canada let’s call them the “Canadian Nine”. These nine Australians, seven children and two women from two separate families are trapped in this province and kept there by the ruling of that province’s justice system. It is not because they have broken any laws, it is not because they have chosen to be involved in any illegal activities, they have never trafficked drugs, nor did they train with Al-Qaeda – they are trapped because they left abusive spouses and expected the province's justice system to protect them and their children.

This week (Monday 25th to Friday 29th, September) ...., the province's Finance Minister will be in Australia, visiting Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, approaching the Australian government and Australian investors in the hope of finding new markets for provincial securities to finance that province’s debt.

What I hope is that our Australian government will see this as an opportunity for a variety of investments. Here is an opportunity to invest in public confidence in their commitment to women’s equality – a government who believes they are responsible for Robert Jovicic’s safety and wellbeing and commits resources to ensure that happens would also believe our safe return to Australia is worth the investment of government resources.

If Douglas Woods is worth $10 million dollars to the Australian government then wouldn’t that make the nine of us worth $ 90 million dollars? Actually based on that particular investment of government resources we should be worth a little more, with all respect to Mr Woods we are all younger than he is so we have more years available to contribute to our home community and the Australian economy.

And wouldn’t it make Mr Costello happy, seven children and two intelligent, capable adults, two families, added to the population and he doesn’t have to pay out a cent in “baby bonus” (7 times $4,000.00 equals.....)

But violence experienced by children and women is a very serious issue; these vulnerable and valuable citizens are deserving and worthy of all the protection and support available, for ethical reasons and for economic reasons (see WHO Report on the cost of violence against women). Isn’t that worth investing in?

The circumstance of the bombing of the World Trade Centre in September 2001 was a tragedy that caught the world's attention. The response by governments around the world was swift and dramatic. The prompt dramatic response -laws, legislation, resources, international co-operation - shows what is possible to protect law-abiding citizens! But how many years of accumulated research shows that more women are killed every year by their intimate partners than people are killed by terrorists? September 11th showed that governments can respond and collaborate to protect people, to identify (profile) possible perpetrators of violence - that governments are prepared to restrict some people's rights to protect innocent community members. Suddenly there are laws and policies to "profile" those who might cause harm, laws that make it a crime to harbour, support, not report "terrorists".... When will that level of protection be available for children and women?

Many children and women experience their father and spouse as "terrorists" and not only can they not get protection, they are court ordered to have contact with the "terrorist" in their life!

Children and women who experience abuse commonly do not have the safety, security, support or resources to speak up on their own behalf. And it would seem that not only those most directly affected face obstacles and barriers to asking for protection for vulnerable children and women. It was in 1999 that I first shared information about my family’s situation with the Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the M.P. for my home town. For reasons I am not able to understand neither they nor the many politicians, organisations and researchers I have contacted since have brought this issue to the government’s or public’s attention – despite their ability to speak up for other Australians who for a variety of reasons have requested federal government support and assistance. Are they not feeling safe enough to do so?

From my personal experience and extensive research I have observed that some people’s argument that some women falsely claim they have been abused is a reason for not responding when women beg for protection for their children and themselves. For one of these families two doctors, a social worker who ran a domestic outreach program, a counsellor and an international expert on child witnesses to domestic abuse have all provided information to the justice department and/or justice system on their behalf. How much information from objective professionals is required for the government to respond to vulnerable Australian children and women?

There are many things I look forward to when I dream of my children and I returning home to Australia; safety, security, especially time with family and friends, the scent of gumtrees, kookaburra’s laughter, cricket in the backyard with all the relatives at Christmas, roast lamb, pavlova, a nice cup of tea on the back veranda with my parents, radio commentators who say “you beauty”, being in my home town were everyone greets you, taking my children to the art galleries and the Australian Museum. Maybe we could go in the “City2Surf” fun run together or join the enthusiastic cyclists for the Great Victoria Bike Ride and see how many of the Twelve Apostles are still standing? With my siblings and their families we could go on adventures to the amazing places featured in the Australian Geographic. We could participate in “Clean Up Australia Day” and volunteer with Mission Australia. I dream of sharing with them the delights of bushwalking and camping, surfing and sailing! Wouldn’t it be something for me to be able to take my daughters to see the world champion “Opals” play netball?


What I hope is that this information will be forwarded to our Prime Minister; Mr John Howard … so here is my message to you sir…

In your public address at Steve Irwin’s memorial service you expressed admiration for the Mr Irwin’s Aussie values -“he demonstrated a love for the two things that ought to matter more to all of us than anything else - his love of his family and his love of his country." Please, across all the kilometres, recognise and acknowledge our love for our families and our love for our country.

I hope the information I have provided here and previously to the Attorney General’s Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs, many M.P.s and Senators who are members of the main political parties, assists you to show leadership as Australia’s Prime Minister. That role of privilege and responsibility provides you with an unique and powerful opportunity for stewardship of Australian values and the opportunity to ensure safety and security for all Australians. It would be unfortunate for you not to be able to fulfil that role to your highest ideal due to a lack of information.

Here is an opportunity for you to negotiate with Mr X, provincial Finance Minister, to ensure the immediate, safe, return of Australian children and women and for this province's, Canadian and international policies, laws and conventions that could have and should have protected us to be applied.

When we, the “Canadian Nine”, are safely in Australia I would like to offer my research, training, skills, experiential knowledge and commitment to the values I learnt as I grew up in Australia (stewardship, respect, equality, opportunity, recognition and celebration) to work with you if you wish to encourage and enable all Australians, wherever they are, to experience and contribute to an Australia we all can value.

I look forward to that happening as soon as possible.


“The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing” Edmunde Burke


“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because you believe your liberation is bound up with mine, let’s work together.”
Lilla Watson 1992