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How can a national government of any stripes play politics with a four-year-old Australian-born child?
By Jackie Pearson
The Sri Lankan Murugappan family has been knocked off the daily news cycle by ‘the’ virus but their safety and peace of mind continuous to be shamefully tenuous.
This article is an excellent update on their fate.
It tells of their flight from Sri Lanka where, as Tamil’s, they faced murder and many other terrors. As asylum seekers the Queensland town of Biloela embraced this hard-working family but the Federal Government could not make an exception to its draconian offshore settlement rules, not once and not even for a family that includes Australian-born children.
“Taken from Biloela on expiry of their temporary visas by the then Home Affairs Minister, Dutton, they were held in detention in Melbourne while appeals went through the legal system and then transferred to Christmas Island when those issues remained unresolved,” Bruce Haigh writes. “The stronger the protests by refugee support groups, human rights activists and the community of Biloela the more Dutton dug in.
“After three years in detention the youngest daughter succumbed to the conditions and in May, 2021, came down with Pneumonia. She was given pain killing tablets by medical staff at the detention facility, ten days later she became so ill she was taken to the hospital on Christmas Island where she was diagnosed with septicaemia and rushed, by emergency flight, to the Children’s Hospital in Perth, 2,600 kilometres away.”
The family was finally reunited in Perth as a result of a nation-wide public outcry and three out of the four has been given a temporary three-month visas. The youngest girl Tharni has not been given a visa and so the family is now stuck in limbo in Perth.
According to a recent facebook post @solidaritywithBiloela Minister Alex Hawke is stopping Priya, Nades and the girls from coming home to Biloea by granting 3 month visas to everyone in the family but 4-year-old Tharni. Former diplomat Bruce Haigh explains why this family isn’t safe until we get them #hometobilo.
Please share and tap the photos to read – and then tap bit.ly/emailmyMPto send a respectful e-mail in your own words, telling your government MP why they must speak up to bring Priya, Nades and the girls home to Biloela now.
The original version of this Canberra Times article, “A family from Biloela holds a mirror to unconscionable Government behaviour”, can be read at bit.ly/BruceHaighBiloelaPlayin
