On Thursday afternoon, two-year-old Tharunicaa was struck on the head when a heavy whiteboard toppled onto her in Melbourne’s immigration detention centre.
Later, she vomited. This can be a sign of mild head injury or something more serious.
When Tharunicaa vomited again several hours later, a nurse said she should be taken to hospital.
A guard told Priya they had to argue with a detention centre manager, who said a trip to the hospital wasn’t necessary.
It can be difficult to know if a blow to the head is serious or not.
But the guidelines are clear. If a child vomits more than once after being struck on the head, an ambulance must be called immediately.
When Tharunicaa was finally taken to emergency around 11.30pm, she was diagnosed with a "mild head injury" (also known as concussion).
I can’t imagine how terrifying those hours were for Priya and Nades. I was so relieved to hear Tharunicaa is recovering well after her ordeal.
But I have some serious questions for the 76 government MPs who let this happen on their watch. And I need your help to get answers.
Can you please call the office of your local MP now?
I need you to ask them to contact Immigration Minister David Coleman and request he intervene to bring this family home to Biloela.
If you are calling the office of one of the 76 government MPs, can you please also ask one of these questions?
Why did Minister Coleman’s department tell the media Tharunicaa "did not sustain any injuries” when a medical report shows she was diagnosed with “mild head injury” (also known as concussion)?
Why did Minister Dutton tell Australians “I’ve got all of the children out of detention here in Australia” when QLD-born Tharunicaa and her four-year-old sister Kopika remain in a Melbourne detention centre after 17 months?
Making a phone call to your MP’s office can feel like a big step – especially when you have an important question to ask.
If you feel a bit nervous, you can use the talking points on our action page.
I know that these phone calls are working. As more of us pick up the phone, slowly but surely, a growing number of government MPs are agreeing to contact Minister Coleman.
If you have already called your local MP – thank you. The next step is to forward this e-mail update to 2 or 3 friends and personally ask them to make their own calls. Can you do that?
For everything you are doing – thank you.
With hope,
Angela xxx