Soon
after the federal election in May, the new Labor government kept its promise to
allow the Murugappan family - parents Nades and Priya, and children Kopita and
Tharnicaa – to return home to Biloela in Queensland. It was a day of jubilation
and celebration for the Biloela community, and, inevitably, a great photo
opportunity for our political leaders to share the limelight. Since then, as
expected, the family has been granted permission to remain permanently in
Australia. After four years of detention, including a lengthy stay on Christmas
Island, the family can now rebuild their lives in the town that had previously
welcomed them with open arms.
Looking
back, it seems incomprehensible that the Coalition government would spent
upwards of $50 million on its ideological and inflexible pursuit of this
family. Even Barnaby Joyce, who at the time was the leader of the Nationals and
Deputy Prime Minister, was of the view that his government’s position made no
sense. He pointed out that the two girls were born in Australia, and that
common sense should prevail. Our local MP, Pat Conaghan, however, took a
different stance. He argued that the family had had their days in court, had
not been able to establish that they were genuine refugees, and that they
should not therefore be afforded special treatment. In other words, they should
have been deported to Sri Lanka.
In
the end, human compassion and common sense prevailed, and the Minister used his
discretion, as he is entitled to do, to grant the family permission to remain
permanently in Australia.
The
Murugappan family are, of course, the lucky ones. There are thousands of other refugee
families who have been living in Australia for up to ten years, including
children who have been born here, but who, so far, have no certainty about
their future. Most of them have been recognised as genuine refugees, who are
therefore entitled to our protection under international law, yet they have
only been issued with temporary visas, which makes their live very precarious.
It is more difficult for them to find permanent employment, it’s impossible for
them to get a mortgage, and their children are not able to access student loans
to enable them to progress to tertiary education. They live their lives in
permanent uncertainty, which inevitably has a serious impact on their health
and wellbeing.
The
government did the right thing by the Biloela family. It’s now time to step up
and grant permanent residency to the many refugees who have proven that they
want to work and contribute to Australian society. It should be a no-brainer.
