The bright spot

In March, Leonie Davey had given up hope. The 35-year-old solo mother of two had just lost her winery job in Busselton and she knew she wouldn’t qualify for JobKeeper because she was a casual worker and had not worked in the same job for more than 12 months.

Davey moved from Invercargill to the Western Australia mining town of Kalgoorlie in 2002, just after the residency rules for Kiwis changed. Despite her 18 years of working – and paying tax – the Australian government didn’t seem to want to know.

Her family tax benefit of $400 a fortnight would not even cover rent, never mind food, bills and the car registration. And returning to New Zealand wasn’t an option, as she could not separate her daughter from her Australian father.

But she belatedly discovered that she could apply for a special hardship benefit and Covid supplement, through her Aussie daughter. That has allowed her to move to Perth, where she might study or work. ‘‘I feel very grateful and one of the lucky ones. It’s actually all worked out for the better.’’