Biloela family released after 1544 days; Peter Dutton reveals medical condition
The Murugappan family will be allowed to return to Biloela after years in limbo under the Morrison government. It comes as Peter Dutton revealed the cause of his hair loss.
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The Murugappan family will be allowed to return to their former home of Biloela after more than four years spent in limbo.
Interim Home Affairs Minister Jim Chalmers confirmed he had intervened in the family’s case to enable them to return to the central Queensland town.
Dr Chalmers said his intervention meant the family could reside lawfully in Biloela on bridging visas while they work towards the resolution of their immigration status, in accordance with Australian law.
“I have spoken to the family and wished them well for their return,” he said.
“This decision will allow them to get ‘home to Bilo’, a big-hearted and welcoming Queensland town that has embraced this beautiful family.”
Dr Chalmers said the Albanese Labor government remained committed to Operation Sovereign Borders and keeping people smugglers out of business.
The Prime Minister had said a decision on the family’s return to Biloela would be made on Friday.
The Prime Minister, speaking to Perth’s 6PR radio on Thursday, said his own views on the family’s case hadn’t changed since 2019.
“I went to Biloela, I met with the community there. This is a community that want this family home,” he said.
“We are a strong enough society to say that we should not treat people badly, in order to send a message to others. And it’s beyond my comprehension how this has gone on for so long, at enormous cost.”
Priya and Nades Murugappan are two Tamil asylum seekers who came to Australia by boat from Sri Lanka during the civil war a decade ago and settled in Biloela after being granted bridging visas.
They lived and worked in the town until their visas expired and they were removed from their homes.
They were eventually sent to Christmas Island in August 2019 with their two Australian-born daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa, becoming the sole residents of the detention centre there.
The Murugappans were later moved to Perth after three-year-old Tharnicaa suffered a blood infection, where they have remained in limbo despite concerted advocacy from Biloela residents and other supporters to “bring them home”.
The Morrison government took a hard line approach to the family’s case, with former prime minister Scott Morrison and former immigration minister Alex Hawke indicating they believed the family’s fate should be decided by the courts.
Mr Albanese had promised before the election that a Labor government would grant the Murugappan family visas to allow them to return to Biloela.
Biloela resident Bronwyn Dendle in April told the ABC’s Q+A program the Morrison government had ignored the majority of Australians and some of its own MPs by not letting the family return.
“Please, tell us what is it going to take for Mr Morrison to simply let this family come home to Bilo where they are welcome, wanted and needed?” she said.
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce was among the Coalition MPs to throw their support behind the family and call for them to be allowed to return to Biloela.
DUTTON REVEALS HEALTH CONDITION
Incoming Liberal leader Peter Dutton has revealed alopecia is the reason for his hair loss after saying he “wasn’t bald by choice”.
The Dickson MP divulged his condition on Friday morning after he was questioned about it on Nine’s Today show.
“It must be a slow news day. I said yesterday I have dodgy genes, I’m not bald by choice, but a couple of years ago I got diagnosed through a regular skin check-up,” Mr Dutton said.
“He diagnosed a form of alopecia where the skin follicles die off effectively … it’s not painful or anything else.”
Mr Dutton alluded to having a mystery skin condition on Thursday as he responded to Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek’s claim he looks like Voldemort.
Ms Plibersek likened Mr Dutton to the Harry Potter villain. Both men are tall and bald.
Mr Dutton confirmed Ms Plibersek apologised to him for her comments and that he had accepted her apology.
BARNABY’S LEADERSHIP UNDER THREAT
Barnaby Joyce’s National Party leadership is under threat as Darren Chester announces his intention to challenge the flamboyant leader.
David Littleproud and former leader Michael McCormack have also hinted they may run, when the party meets to vote in Canberra on Monday.
Outgoing Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Mr Chester said it was “time for a change” as others claim Mr Joyce was at least partly to blame for the Coalition’s federal election loss last weekend.
But the former deputy prime minister said he wasn’t to blame, with the Nationals holding all 16 of its lower house seats.
He was not responsible for the Liberals losing seats to teal independents, Labor and the Greens in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, he said.
‘I’m not in the Liberal Party. I’m in the Nationals,’ he said.
‘I’m not going to talk on behalf of the Liberal Party because that is for them, and I’m going to give them the space and dignity and the respect for them to have their own discussions.’
In contrast, Mr Chester said we needed to be honest with each other in the party room and “take some responsibility for the Liberal losses in the city”.
“How we develop our policies, deliver our message, and work with our Coalition partners in the future will determine whether we can return to government and deliver for regional communities,’ he told Nine newspapers.
While Nationals’ deputy leader, Mr Littleproud hasn’t announced his candidacy, he reportedly has the support of almost half the party’s MPs and senators.
Third possible contender, former party leader Mr McCormack, said earlier this week the Nationals were in a “despairing” position because of the Coalition’s election loss.
Mr Joyce remains strongly supported in the party room though, with former resources minister Keith Pitt publicly backing him to remain as leader.
Mr Joyce told the ABC he was “completely at ease with the democratic process” and that the “Nationals’ agreement with the Liberals no longer exists”.
‘The Nationals are out own party … there’s a Coalition agreement (but) there is no Coalition party. It always finishes at the end of any term,’ he said.
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