Coalition MPs call for Biloela family to be allowed to stay

By admin On Jun 12, 2021

Two coalition MPs have called on their government to let a Tamil family whose children were born in Queensland to stay in Australia.

Priya and Nades Marugappan and their two daughters had been living in the small town of Biloela before they were taken to Christmas Island in 2019 as illegal immigrants.

Their youngest daughter Tharnicaa is currently in hospital in Perth, being treated for sepsis as a result of untreated pneumonia.

Today, on Tharnicaa’s fourth birthday, Liberal National MP Ken O’Dowd and Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman said the asylum seeker family should be allowed to stay.

Priya, Nades, Kopika and Tharnicaa Murugappan have been in detention in Australia for years. (Supplied: Angela Fredericks)

Three-year-old Tharnicaa is being medically evacuated to Perth from Christmas Island. — On Tharnicaa’s fourth birthday she is in hospital with sepsis after being medically evacuated to Perth from Christmas Island. (Supplied)

Mr O’Dowd, whose electorate includes Biloela, said he spoke to Immigration Minister Alex Hawke on Friday and asked him to let the family settle in Queensland.

Biloela girl Tharni medical update — Tharnicaa was medically evacuated last week and ten days of illness. (Supplied)

“It’s no good for the family, it’s no good for the Australian taxpayer, it’s not good for anyone and it’s got to be resolved.”

Mr O’Dowd said Mr Hawke was currently looking through “about 2000 pages” of documentation but said there could be a resolution in “two weeks’ time”.

Mr Zimmerman, the Liberal member for North Sydney, also publicly supported the family today for the first time.

“I think it is time that we brought them back from Christmas Island and that we do look at providing them a long-term future in Biloela and the community that has been so supportive of their aspirations,” he told the ABC.

He said he had also spoken to Mr Hawke and asked him to “look favourably” on the application.

Mr Zimmerman told the ABC the case was complex as courts had previously found the family was not entitled to refugee status.

Priya and Nades Marugappan with their two Australian-born daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa. (Facebook)

The family’s two daughters were born in Queensland. (Facebook)

“But I think that in this case, there are strong compassionate grounds and an outpouring from the Australian community supporting their ability to stay in the community that has adopted them so strongly.”

Priya and Nades are both Tamil, a group that has been persecuted in Sri Lanka.

They have an older daughter, Kopika. Both girls were born in Australia.