The Biloela Tamil family has been reunited and granted residency in Perth after spending nearly 3 years in Detention on Christmas Island.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke confirmed the great news this morning. The Biloela family will now reside in the Perth suburbs via a community detention placement close to schools and other services.
Their youngest daughter will receive medical attention from Perth Children’s Hospital to treat her ongoing blood infection.
However, the family will be unable to return to their home in Biloela, Queensland. Additionally, no final decision has been made about the family’s previously rejected refugee status.
However, Hawke maintained that he: “will consider at a future date whether to lift the statutory bar presently preventing members of the family from reapplying for temporary protection, for which they have previously been rejected.”
He also emphasised that the Government’s xenophobic and draconian border control measures will remain fixed.
“The Government’s position on border protection has not changed. Anyone who arrives in Australia illegally by boat will not be resettled permanently,” he said.
“Anyone who is found not to be owed protection will be expected to leave Australia.”
Meanwhile, highly controversial One Nation leader and full-time racist, Pauline Hansen has unsurprisingly slammed the decision.
“If they had gone back to their home country and actually applied they might have been on their way to become citizens in Australia… They are not proven to be refugees.”
Yes, if the LNP gave a damn…
The beautiful Tamil family would still living in Bileola and NEVER FORCIBLY, INHUMANELY EVICTED FROM THEIR HOME AND BILEOLA COMMUNITY.— 🕯FRAN 🐀🌷🐱🇵🇸 (@FRANCES99580511) June 14, 2021
The Biloela family was the name given to Priya and Nadesalingam Muruguppan, who fled Sri Lanka’s civil war by boat nearly a decade ago.
The couple have two children born in Australia, daughters Kopika, 6, and Tharnicaa, 4.
They have been detained on Christmas Island since August 2019, when protesters tried to stop their removal from Australia after their asylum seeker claims were rejected.
