The case of Indonesian-born Emeline Yuwono has raised questions over the treatment of people with disabilities seeking government protection - off the back of a petition by a 14-year-old boy.
Eleven-year-old Emeline likes ribbons, ice cream and her neighbour's dog, Charlie. She likes to laugh, and recently learned to say her own name. But life wasn't always this happy.
Emeline is severely autistic, and in her home town in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, her family abandoned her, believing she was posessed by a demon.
Her mother, Mei, was left to raise Emeline alone.
"I promised her, 'Emeline, you come with me wherever I go and we'll fight together'."
"Because they don't understand autism, they think Emeline have another spirit in her," Mei said.
"I said no, Emiline's sick because she has autism, she needs help, she needs treatment."
In order to feed her daughter, Mei put Emeline in an orphanage during the day so that she could go to work.
"The teacher was very angry and pulled the kids hair and smacked them. I picked up Emeline and I promised her, 'Emeline, you come with me wherever I go and we'll fight together'."
Emeline never returned to the orphanage. Instead, Mei took her to work with her every day, keeping a constant eye on her young daughter while selling bags of rice on the streets of Medan.
Mei eventually raised enough money for two tickets to Australia. After arriving in Sydney she made a claim for a protection visa. It was rejected.
Not long after, 14-year-old Damian Hill found Emeline after she had wandered from her house. She was sitting on the ground, alone, picking strands of grass from the nature strip and eating them.
The pair struck up a conversation and over the space of two years, became friends.
"They have nothing there, and we can help her here," Damian said.
"She's here now, she's getting good treatment, she's progressed so much. So why wouldn't we keep her?"
Damian began a campaign to draw attention to Emeline's plight, meeting with every government minister he could find.
He has managed to get the support of politicians on both sides of parliament for Emeline's case, including Malcolm Turnbull and Tanya Plibersek.
"Please give permission for Emeline to stay in Australia, and I promise to be a good citizen in Australia."
Senior Solicitor at the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre, Xanthe Emery, said the case raises questions of whether the visa system provides enough support for applicants with severe disabilities.
"The difficulty with the ministerial intervention is that it's a personal, non-compellable power of the minister, so you really can't predict your prospects of success in that process," she said.
But for Damian Hill, the issue is simple.
"If Mei and Emeline can't get through on compassionate grounds, can the minister please tell me what will?"
Now, Mei is hoping for Peter Dutton's mercy.
"We are so appreciative of what the government has done for Emeline and I for the last three years," she said.
"Please give permission for Emeline to stay in Australia, and I promise to be a good citizen in Australia."
SBS has contacted Minister Dutton’s office for comment, but has not received a response.
For the full report watch SBS World News on SBS 6.30pm tonight.
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