Why the return of Bali Nine members Martin Stephens and Matthew Norman to Australia is bittersweet – after 19 years behind bars

The other Bali Nine members are back on their own soil as free men, but the bittersweet news brings new sadness for some.

Martin Stephens, 48, and Matthew Norman, 38, have been forced to leave their wives and stepchildren behind and now face years of separation as they painstakingly navigate their next options.

Now permanently banned from returning to Indonesia, obtaining an Australian visa for their loved ones is the men’s only hope of being reunited with their families.

But because they have lived their unconventional relationships entirely behind bars, it will be up to immigration officials to decide whether they meet the strict requirements.

“It is possible for a couple to have a genuine marital relationship within the meaning of the Migration Act even if they have never lived together,” Australian crimmigration lawyer Perry Q. Wood told Daily Mail Australia.

‘The question would be whether it is nevertheless possible to demonstrate that there is a real marital relationship.

‘Taking into account evidence such as the financial aspects, the nature of the household, the social aspects and the couple’s level of commitment to each other.’

‘This could be difficult if the couple has never lived together, but the assessment would ultimately be up to a representative of the minister.’

Norman, Stephens, Si Yi Chen, Scott Rush and Michael Czugaj flew back to Australia on a commercial Jetstar flight on Sunday, in a top-secret mission after weeks of negotiations between the Australian and Indonesian governments.

The men will not have to serve a prison sentence in Australia and can live freely in the community.

Authorities would not confirm where they are staying, but it is believed they have been transported to short-term accommodation at Howard Springs, near Darwin.

Stephens met his wife Christine Puspayanti in 2005, the same year he was caught trying to smuggle heroin out of Bali.

Puspayanti was a single mother of one child and visited Kerobokan prison with a friend.

The couple fell in love and married behind bars in April 2011 in front of 100 guests, including their families as well as the other eight Bali Nine members: Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran, Chen, Czugaj, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Norman, Rush and Renée Lawrence .

The governor of the prison, Siswanto, allowed a post-wedding party and conjugal visit in a specially prepared room on the same evening.

In 2014, Stephens requested Kerobokan’s transfer to Malang Prison in East Java.

‘I asked to be moved to be closer to my wife and apart from the others. I don’t want to know them. I was not in their syndicate that carried out previous drug runs. I have always been known as the ‘black sheep’ of the Bali Nine,” he told Indonesian Expat earlier in 2020.

Norman married his Indonesian girlfriend Anita of four years in February 2016.

The couple said I do that in the presence of family and friends on the green grounds of Kerobokan prison.

The day also marked Norman becoming stepfather to Anita’s young daughter Stella, now 15, who was their maid of honor.

The family have since made the most of relaxed visitor rules that allow them to spend up to three hours a day together and have turned the prison into a bizarre home from home for them.

Loving family photos show the smiling husband and wife celebrating special occasions, including Stella’s recent graduation in June and Norman’s birthday in September.

Norman’s devoted father Michael had also moved to Bali to be with his son after quitting his life in Sydney due to concerns about his son’s welfare in prison.

Norman and Stephens’ unexpected transfer and release have now put their marriage in jeopardy.

But Mr Wood said the couple’s criminal convictions should not hinder the process of transferring their loved ones to Australia.

“The sentences received by members of the Bali Nine are significant, but drug offenses would not normally fall into one of the categories of offenses that would be subject to a sponsorship ban,” he explained.

While the Home Office could not comment on the individual cases of Norman and Stephens, they did confirm that the federal government is committed to keeping families together.

“The department carefully assesses the merits of each application on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all information available to the delegate at the time of the decision and the individual circumstances of the applicant,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Cohabitation is one element of the assessment and other considerations are taken into account in assessing whether the couple has a mutual commitment to a shared life as a married couple, to the exclusion of all others, and whether the relationship is genuine and lasting.’

But neither Norman nor Stephens will be celebrating a happy reunion with their wives and daughters anytime soon.

“The processing time for these specific applications cannot be accurately predicted, and processing times often exceed 20 months,” Mr Wood confirmed.