A Mummulgum mother-of-two hasn’t seen her four-year-old daughter for three weeks.
Sharnee Van Mourik said the lockdown and border restrictions mean Haven-Rose is unable to come home.
Sharnee has a one-week-on, one-week-off arrangement with her daughter’s father who lives in Queensland.
A custody order set a 50/50 arrangement for Haven-Rose.
Covid has impacted that arrangement.
Photo: contributed
“Last year I didn’t see her for three months,” Sharnee said of last year’s covid restrictions.
Sharnee also has a two-year-old daughter, who misses her sister.
“It’s a joke, I’m so angry,” Sharnee said.
Sharnee works as an operational admin in Casino and is mainly working from home.
“We are in an area with no cases and her father won’t let her come down because he would have to go into quarantine when he returns,” she said.
“We Facetime,” Sharnee said about keeping in contact with Haven-Rose.
She has contacted Queensland Public Health authorities for an exemption to cross the border to collect her daughter.
But the issue would continue with Haven-Rose then not being able to return to see her father in Queensland until the border reopened.
Who can help unite mother and daughter?
Kyogle LGA is in the Queensland border zone and if you are a NSW border zone resident you can enter Queensland for an essential purpose including an obligation relating to shared parenting, Deputy Premier John Barilaro said.
“Ms Van Mourik and her daughter can cross for these purposes. She must follow face mask requirements while she is in Queensland,” Mr Barilaro said.
“If the children’s father crosses the border, he would need to stay in the NSW border region for the duration of his time in NSW in order to return to Queensland and then comply with stay-at-home requirements when he returns home.
“The child also needs to abide by stay-at-home conditions on return to NSW.
“We would generally advise that people have evidence of the essential purpose of their travel.”
As part of advocating for Sharnee and her family, the Richmond River Independent has tried to get a response from Queensland Health, but nothing has come as we go to press.
State MP Janelle Saffin said if Sharnee contacted her, she would advocate on her behalf.
This article appeared in the Richmond River Independent, 1 September, 2021.
