Dustin Martin was not pleased that his Father was denied entry into Bali for the family Christmas holiday.
Shane Martin, who carries a bit of baggage due to his association with some less-than-spotless bikey gangs, was stopped by customs officers in Indonesia earlier this month, and he alleges that the Australian government may have played a role in his being excluded.
Shane Martin was deported from Australia, but according to Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton, that deportation may have been the result of a “legal error,” and that Martin could reapply for a visa.
“I was so confused, I’ve been to Bali before, even after my visa was cancelled and had no problems,” Shane told the Herald Sun.He said that airport officials told him “I’m sorry, we’ve been told by (the) Australian Government not to let you in. It’s Australia, they kept saying and they were embarrassed and apologetic.”
Attorneys representing Shane Martin reportedly got in touch with the Australian government ahead of time to clear the path and were advised that so long as the elder Martin did not fly through Sydney, all would be clear sailing.
But when Martin got to Denpasar Airport, he was rejected by the customs gendarmes.
“We had Christmas in Bali planned for a while — way before the minister’s decision was overturned — and it was gonna be really special for my family to be all together,” Dustin told the Herald Sun.“I was just shattered and really confused. Why would they stop him from going to Bali now? We were there a year ago and nothing changed apart from dad winning his case.“I’ve had a good year on the footy field with the club’s success and everything. I’m a really proud Australian and I love this country but this just isn’t a fair go.”
The Martin family was permitted into New Zealand and they wound up spending Christmas in Auckland.
