I couldn’t believe it. 30 seconds into last night’s Leader’s Debate, Scott Morrison told Australia: “We’ve got every child out of detention”.
But our two beautiful Australian-born bubs are suffering in detention right now. They've been denied proper medical care, fresh food and sunlight. Please - will you help me share the truth before it's too late?
My name is Simone. For the last 15 months, I’ve been fighting to get two Queensland-born toddlers and their loving Mum and Dad out of Melbourne’s harsh detention centre and home to Biloela, QLD, where they belong. Their names are Kopika, Tharunicaa, Priya and Nades.
Last week, I was horrified to learn that after months of severe vitamin deficiencies and dental problems, little Tharunicaa’s mouth hurt so much should couldn’t eat solid food.
Kids need sunlight to get vitamin D to grow strong teeth and bones. They need fresh, healthy food and access to proper medical care.
But Tharunicaa and Kopika have been locked indoors for most of the last 15 months. Fresh food is restricted and visitors are banned from bringing it with them. And when Priya begs for her kids to see a doctor, she is fobbed off with Panadol.
In Biloela, Kopika and Tharunicaa were healthy and happy. They even had an “Australian Grandmother”, Margot, who told me yesterday that Priya and Nades “are examples of how parents should be”:
"They both ensured their children wanted for nothing when living in Biloela. But restrictions placed on them in detention mean they cannot even provide a decent diet or access medical assistance," Margot said.
Our Prime Minister knows that these kids are suffering in detention. But most Australians don’t.
A lot of people think they know how the election will turn out. It’s tempting to sit back and do nothing.
But we can’t afford to gamble Kopika and Tharunicaa’s future on the outcome of an election. We need to get them out of detention now. And we can’t let the leader of our country get away with denying that they exist.
Please chip in today at chuffed.org/project/kopika.
In hope,
Simone
On behalf of Angela and the #hometobilo team
PS Angela has asked me to pass on a big ‘thank you’ from her while she is on a long-planned holiday away from e-mail and petitions and keep you posted on Priya’s legal challenge. It’s a long and complex process with no guarantee of success, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as there is any news.