Mum Versus Goliath – How The Ashburton Angel Started Fighting For The 501s

by Michael Botur

Over the past seven years, Filipa Payne has battled hate mail, massive air fare bills, abuse and threats to bring together some of the Commonwealth’s most experienced human rights lawyers and challenge the Australian government in a class action suit, fighting for the 501s — over a thousand men and women put in inhumane prisons then tossed out of their home country.

The former Canterbury bogan and netball umpire shares the Erin Brockovich- style story of how she came to be thought of as Mum by hardened men.

It’s been a full-on year for Filipa Payne, launching a book about the 501s as well as launching a class action suit against several departments of the Australian government for breaching the human rights of people deported after 2014. Based in Christchurch, Filipa is Ash Vegas born-and-bred, a self-described “bogan" who says she was “no angel" growing up – but who would eventually become an angel to vast numbers of men deported f rom Australia u...