The Conversation
05 Aug 2022, 14:08 GMT+10
The Tamil "Biloela" family has been granted permanent residency by the Albanese government.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles announced on Friday he had used his ministerial power to intervene to give visas to the family to allow them to stay permanently.
For the Nadesalingam family, whose cause was taken up by the Biloela community where they had settled, it is the end of a battle that involved years of detention, including on Christmas Island, court action and uncertainty.
The parents came to Australia separately by boat, met and married here, and their two daughters, Kopika and Tharnicaa, were born in Australia.
But their refugee claims were rejected, and they were put into detention after their visas expired in 2018.
One of the first acts of the Labor government was to allow the family to return to the Queensland town.
A team from the Home Affairs department visited the family to tell them personally of the decision.
Giles said Labor had promised before the election that it would allow the family to return to Biloela and would resolve their immigration status.
"Today, the government has delivered on that promise," he said.
He said the decision "follows careful consideration of the Nadesalingam family's complex and specific circumstances".
He also sent a strong message designed to tell people smugglers not to take the decision as a signal. Since the change of government several boats have been intercepted from Sri Lanka and the passengers returned.
"During the past two months, the government has demonstrated we will continue to intercept and return any unauthorised vessels seeking to reach Australia, " Giles said.
"For anyone who attempts to migrate via an unauthorised boat to Australia - you will be caught, returned or sent to a regional processing country.
"This government remains committed to Operation Sovereign Borders and stopping people smuggling."
But shadow home affairs minister Karen Andrews said "actions have consequences and this sets a high profiler precedent.
"If undermines the policy that if you come here illegally you will never settle in Australia," she said.
Author: Michelle Grattan - Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Get a daily dose of Brisbane Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Brisbane Star.
More InformationSYDNEY, NSW, Australia - , Australian Federal Police (AFP) have shut down a secret drug lab in Sydney's west and seized more than 100kg...
Washington DC [US], July 2 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with US State Secretary Marco Rubio on the sidelines of...
Washington, DC [US], July 2 (ANI): India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japan's Minister...
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin believes England will focus on playing cautiously against...
Birmingham [UK], July 1 (ANI): As Team India gears up for the second Test in Birmingham against England, there would be worries about...
Washington DC [US], July 1 (ANI): Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday highlighted the Quad's significance, stating that...
EVERGLADES, Florida: Over the weekend, a diverse coalition of environmental activists, Native American leaders, and residents gathered...
BEIJING, China: China's national soccer team may struggle to stir excitement, but its humanoid robots are drawing cheers — and not...
]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...
DOVER, Delaware: California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken legal aim at Fox News, accusing the network of deliberately distorting...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany has become the latest country to challenge Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over its data practices, as pressure...
TORONTO, Canada: Harvard University and the University of Toronto have created a backup plan to ensure Harvard graduate students continue...