Robert Jovicic () was a long-time resident of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

who was deported to

Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

, where he became destitute in 2005. Jovicic was born on 4 December 1966 in France to Yugoslavian parents. At the age of two, his family migrated to Australia, where Jovicic became an

Australian permanent resident Australian permanent residents are residents of Australia who hold a permanent visa but are not citizens of Australia. A holder of a permanent visa may remain in Australia indefinitely. A 5-year initial travel facility, which corresponds to t ...

and lived for the next 36 years before being sent to Serbia. In Australia, Jovicic became addicted to heroin and turned to crime. By 2004, his criminal record numbered some 158 criminal convictions, mainly for burglary and theft. In June 2004 his permanent residency was cancelled and he was detained, before being deported to

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, at the discretion of the then Australian Immigration Minister

Amanda Vanstone Amanda Eloise Vanstone (née O'Brien; born 7 December 1952) is an Australian former politician and a former Ambassador to Italy. She was a Liberal Senator for South Australia from 1984 to 2007, and held several ministerial portfolios in the ...

. The Australian Government only obtained a 7-day visa for him, which meant he was unable to work, and, since he had not opted for Yugoslavian, specifically Serbian, citizenship within 3 years of turning 21 (which was a precondition to maintain citizenship by any of the six Yugoslavia's constituent republics at the time), the FRY authorities declared him stateless. Jovicic turned up destitute and ill, sleeping rough in freezing temperatures outside the Australian embassy in the Serbian capital,

, in late November 2005. His case was widely publicised in the Australian media, and there were calls for the Australian Government to reverse its cancellation of Jovicic's permanent residency. Jovicic's legal counsel has stated that he does not speak or understand the

Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standard language, standardized Variety (linguistics)#Standard varieties, variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of ...

. Jovicic's father was living in Serbia at the time, but he had his problems (with alcohol) and his relationship with his son was strained, so he was of little help. The Serbian government also had an insufficient welfare system. In March 2006, Senator

announced that Jovicic would be given a special purpose visa and allowed to return to Australia. She promised the family through the then Department of Immigration, Multiculturalism and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) that he would be returned and given an RRV ( Resident Return Visa). According to his lawyer and others he was also offered access to the new Reconnecting People Package, which is for the reintegration of those wrongly detained (it would seem that if this package was offered it has since been withdrawn). Jovicic returned to Australia on 9 March 2006, but to no certainty about his status. This state of uncertainty continued for almost a year until he was granted a two-year special protection visa on 19 February 2007 by Senator Vanstone's successor as Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews. In February 2008, the new Labor Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, granted a Permanent Resident visa to Jovicic.

References

Uncited sources

*http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,17349473-5001028,00.html *http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2005/s1515472.htm *http://seven.com.au/news/nationalnews/123924 *http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/bring-jovicic-home-beazley/2005/11/25/1132703346873.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184050/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article329213.ece
DPP v Jovicic (2001)
*http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1582773.htm *http://www.smh.com.au/news/miranda-devine/worlds-gone-mad-when-bad-guys-want-compo/2005/12/03/1133422144118.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20060826065132/http://www.alp.org.au/media/0306/dsiimm100.php

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jovicic, Robert 1966 births Living people Stateless people Australian people of Serbian descent French emigrants to Australia French people of Serbian descent Australian male criminals People deported from Australia People convicted of burglary People convicted of theft

See also

References

Uncited sources