’They’re dead’: Family ‘lives in a box’

The Labor frontbencher visited the family on the weekend after an outrageous battle with former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton last week to gain access. Ms. Keneally has previously called out Prime Minister Scott Morrison to allow the “cruel and inhumane” saga to continue at a $50m costs to the taxpayer.

In a statement obtained by news.com.au, she said she had “several chances to see the family, including in the immigration detention center where they live, at the Christmas Island Recreation Centre, and the Catholic Church on Sunday morning”.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, she told ABC’s Fran Kelly that despite the inquisitive and intelligent nature of the kids during the current hardships, the family “is dead” in detention. Speaking to Sky News, Ms. Keneally said the family was clearly struggling mentally.

“They live in two rooms; they have a box with two rooms,” she told political editor Andrew Clennell. She said both rooms were bedrooms, “but one bedroom for them functions as where they keep all their clothes and belongings”. “The fact is they are effectively living in isolation. Priya, the mother, is lonely and depressed.”

Nades and Priya Murugappan came to Australia by boat in 2012 and 2013, respectively. They settled in Biloela, a town of about 6000 in Central Queensland, and started a family, having Kopika, now 5, and Tharunicaa, 3. They were detained in 2018 after being denied a visa that would have allowed them to stay in Australia.

The Federal Court judge said the parents were considered “unaunauthorizedritime arrivals” under Australian law. Although their daughters were born in Australia, their parent’s immigration status also made the two girls “unauthorized maritime arrivals”, the judgment said. Ever since, they have been waiting in detention to learn the outcome of a Federal Court fight to avoid deportation.

“The youngest child is only three years old; she was taken into immigration detention by the government when she was eight months old,” Ms. Keneally said. “She has known nothing except living behind bars and under guard.” In her statement, Ms. Keneally said: “The girls are like any other Australian school kids I’ve met. They have Australian accents and are bright, sweet, and well-mannered. I thoroughly enjoyed playing and chatting with them.”

In February, the court ruled their fight was successful, and the family could stay in Australia for now. But they will remain in detention on Christmas Island — an Australian territory — as only the Minister for Immigration can grant their visa application and allow them to return to Biloela.

Ms. Keneally has called on Mr. Dutton’s replacement for the Home Affairs portfolio, Karen Andrews, to use ministerial discretion and release the family back to their community “with the stroke of a ministerial pen”. “Regarding border security, both major parties support offshore processing, boat turnbacks where it is safe to do so, and regional resettlement,” Ms. Keneally said.

“The question is not how we manage the borders in the future – Labor and the Coalition are agreed. The challenge is that people have been in Australia for nearly a decade are settled, building businesses and families, and can’t go back due to wars, closed borders, or persecution. “We need a way to resolve these issues.

“Right now, the borders are closed, Australia’s refugee intake is deficient, and a town in regional Queensland is ready to welcome this family home. At the time, the Department of Home Affairs said it was aware of the decision and was considering the implications. “The Australian Government’s policy is clear; no one who attempts illegal maritime travel to Australia will be settled here,” it said in a statement.

“The family’s claims to engage Australia’s protection obligations have been comprehensively assessed on several occasions by the Department of Home Affairs, various merits review bodies and appealed through multiple courts, including the Federal Court to the High Court. “At no time has any family member been found to be owed protection.”