Former public servant Michaela Banerji, whose online criticism of Australia's asylum seeker policy sparked a landmark court battle over free speech within the APS, has posted a farewell to Twitter, announcing a decision to stop dialysis and move to palliative care facility Clare Holland House in Canberra.
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Ms Banerji, who has been battling chronic kidney disease, said on Twitter that her last surgery had "gone wrong" and she was tired of "being at the mercy of medical practice".
"Dear all, I am dying now. I decided to stop dialysis. Tired of being at the mercy of medical practice. My last fistula surgery gone wrong," she wrote in the early hours on Wednesday.
"Thank you for enlivening my life with your comments. I expect to be at Clare Holland House in a day or two. Goodbye my dear friends."
The former Immigration Department public affairs officer posted under the handle @LaLegale, the same account she created more than 12 years ago and used to, initially anonymously, criticise the government.
"Where states fail to offer legal asylum to refugees, that state fails," read one tweet posted during her time serving under the Gillard government.
Later, she said that through her tweets, she aimed to explain Australia's role as a signatory to the Refugee Convention and how the country was shirking its responsibilities with regard to it.
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Ms Banerji was sacked in 2013, after her employer identified her as the source behind the tweets. She fought the decision in Federal Court and lost. But the battle over free speech in the public service continued for years after.
Years later, in a 2018 interview with The Canberra Times, she said the dismissal was still painful.
"It drives a stake through you. It means everything you've believed in and worked hard for is just trashed," she said.
Ms Banerji also developed a psychological condition following her dismissal and took the government to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal after workplace insurer Comcare refused to pay her compensation.
In 2018, the tribunal found Ms Banerji's dismissal to be unlawful and that it impinged on her right to free political expression.
But the following year, the High Court overturned the tribunal's decision, ruling in favour of the government and determining that limiting freedom of expression in the bureaucracy was "reasonably appropriate".
Ms Banerji had continued to be active on her Twitter account, more recently retweeting a variety of content, including posts in support of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, which was defeated over the weekend.
She had amassed nearly 8000 followers on Twitter over the years. Thousands of people interacted with her last post, many thanking Ms Banerji for her advocacy.
Former ABC Four Corners producer Peter Cronau wrote: "Farewell dear Michaela. Thankyou for your courageous fight for social justice. You did well."
Natalie Vikhrov
Natalie Vikhrov reports on federal politics and public service for The Canberra Times. Prior to this, she spent several years covering human rights in Eastern Europe, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Get in touch via natalie.vikhrov@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Natalie Vikhrov reports on federal politics and public service for The Canberra Times. Prior to this, she spent several years covering human rights in Eastern Europe, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Get in touch via natalie.vikhrov@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
