In the 24 hours since the High Court dismissed Priya’s appeal, immigration Minister David Coleman has been inundated with phone calls. But he still hasn’t stepped in.
Priya and her family could be forced onto a plane to war-torn Sri Lanka at any minute. Please - pick up the phone and call the Minister’s office on (02) 6277 7770 now. If you’ve already done that, please call your MP.
When the Minister’s staff had started asking callers which electorates they live in, I knew our calls were starting to have an impact. But with the election just days away, this is our very last opportunity to make the politicians listen.
Now, we need to contact any and every MP in Australia and let them know we won’t vote for politicians that sit back and do nothing as Dutton deports this innocent young family.
There are more signs the public pressure is working. Yesterday, for the first time in 15 months, four year old Kopika and little sister Tharunicaa were allowed to attend a playgroup outside the detention centre.
When I heard how Kopika couldn’t decide between the toy stethoscope and the stove, I thought: “That’s such an Aussie thing.” In Australia, an abattoir worker’s daughter can dream of becoming a doctor - perhaps in the small QLD town she grew up in!
Please - I desperately need your help to get Kopika and her family safely back to Biloela before Australia votes. Will you call the Minister’s office now?
If you’ve already made that call - thank you. Today, I urgently need you to follow up with a call to your local MP. You can find the number in seconds by entering your postcode at our action page.
Priya and Nades are doing their best to protect their children from the immense stress of knowing that the Border Force guards could come for their family again at any moment. But Kopika is a bright little girl. She knows something is very wrong.
If her family somehow evades the real, life-threatening danger they face in Sri Lanka, Kopika will find herself in a country with one of the world’s worst records on early childhood education. Local human rights organisations report that in the north of the country, the Sri Lankan military have literally taken control of pre-schools attended by thousands of children.
Right now, your calls are literally the only thing stopping Mr Dutton from forcing this beautiful family from Australian to danger.
Please, can you make your polite call to the Minister’s office - and then your local MP - today?
With hope,
Angela