Election 2022: Biloela ready to welcome home Murugappan family

The Murugappan family from the Queensland town of Biloela is set to go home after a change in government, after almost four years in various forms of detention.

The Murugappans: Tharunicaa, Nades, Priya and Kopika. Picture: Colin Murty

The Murugappan family from the Queensland town of Biloela is set to go home after a change in government, after almost four years in various forms of detention.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers declared the Tamil family would be returned to Biloela “as soon as possible”.

“Biloela is a big-hearted, warm, welcoming town and the sooner we can get that beautiful family home to Bilo, the better,” he told the ABC on Monday.

Family friend Bronwyn Dendle said there was “a lot on the line” for the family, who had spent election night “hoping and praying there would be more red than blue”.

“We were very anxious leading up to the election … but once we started to have a good idea and confirmation that it looked like Labor was going to form a government, minority or majority, we made a call to them and they were so relieved,” she told Sky News.

“We’re starting the process of conversations now and a lot of the Labor members have said it will be a priority, so we’re really hopeful we’ll be able to get a date in soon.

“Mr Albanese came to Biloela about … three years ago and talked to us about the concerns we had about the family. And support them he has. So we’re confident this election promise will be fulfilled and they will be home safe in Biloela.”

Nades and Priya Murugappan – who fled Sri Lanka and the persecution of Tamils to Australia in 2012 and 2013 respectively – married and had two children, Kopika and Tharni, in Biloela.

After four years in the town, the family was taken into custody by the Australian Border Force. The Coalition government attempted to deport them in 2019 but was stopped by an injunction.

Since then, the Murugappans have been in detention on Christmas Island and community detention in Perth after younger daughter Tharni was flown to the mainland for medical treatment.

Labor had been vocal on the family’s plight, with opposition home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally visiting them often and making the plea personally.

Ms Keneally lost her place in parliament, after a swing of almost 20 per cent against Labor in the NSW seat of Fowler, into which Mr Albanese parachuted the former NSW premier.

Ms Dendle said there were “definitely jobs” for the family in Biloela, with the local meatworks – where Mr Murugappan previously worked before – always having “vacancies to fill”.

“We were always set on bringing them home … we really did have all of our hopes hanging on this election,” she said.