Today, the wonderful legal team fighting to keep Priya, Nades and their QLD-born girls loving family here in Australia will appear in the Federal Court in Melbourne.

On this fourth day of Christmas Island, can you please pick up the phone and tell your MP that you are thinking of our beautiful family?

Three months ago, the courts ordered Mr Dutton to allow two-year-old, Queensland-born Tharunicaa to remain in Australia until a full hearing could be held.

Today’s court date is not that full hearing and is administrative in nature. But it is a step towards the day when this beautiful family could find themselves on a terrifying deadline yet again.

Please - can you take a minute to pick up the phone now?

I am by no means legally minded, but I was shocked when I learned that no appeal court has the power to give Tharunicaa the protection of the very country where she was born: Australia.

Before all this started, I thought the court’s job was to listen to what people like Priya and Nades have to say, consider all the facts and decide whether they need Australia’s protection.

But it turns out that’s not how it works. If the courts find that a legal error has been made, they can only send the case back to the government officials who made the decision in the first place.

It means that whatever happens in court, the fate of this beautiful family rests in the hands of government officials and politicians. The very same politicians have changed Australia’s immigration laws to make it almost impossible have these sorts of life or death decisions properly checked.

That’s why it’s up to all of us to pick up the phone and show our MPs we want them to speak up for this beautiful family.

I have seen that when we all act together, we can find support in expected places.

It is thanks to your calls, e-mails and letters that Barnaby Joyce spoke up for our family. It's thanks to you that our local MP, Ken O’Dowd, said: “I think they should stay”.

And let’s not forget when Senator Matt Canavan said he “welcomed and congratulated” Biloela for fighting for Priya, Nades and the girls or when Senator Jacqui Lambie told Mr Dutton he should show “compassion and heart” for our Biloela family.

Today - the fourth day of Christmas Island - can you please give your local MP’s office a call for Priya, Nades and the girls and show them that you are holding this family in your heart?

Always hopeful,

Angela

PS Every day until Christmas Eve, we're taking one simple action to support Priya, Nades and the girls. The actions for the 5th and 6th days of the 12 Days of Christmas Island are:

• Tuesday: Say ‘thank you’ to someone special
• Wednesday: Show your support for the Christmas Island community

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