Friends, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has made a last minute undertaking to grant new 3 month visas to Priya, Nades and Kopi next Wednesday - one day after their current visas expire.
Yesterday, our family’s wonderful legal team appeared in the Federal Circuit Court to challenge Minister Hawke’s decision to stop three members of our Biloela family from applying for further short-term visas.
This critical legal support is funded entirely by donations, so if you’ve already chipped in to our latest crowdfunder - thank you.
Without visas, Scott Morrison’s Ministers could lock this family up in detention again. They could force them from Australia to danger.
Now, if Minister Hawke sticks to his word, Priya, Nades and the girls face another agonising countdown to the expiry of the visas - two days before Christmas.
By keeping four-year-old Tharni from “community detention” in Perth, Minister Hawke is stopping her whole family getting safely home to Biloela, where they are welcome, wanted and needed.
That’s why we’re putting up new billboards around Australia next week, calling on Prime Minister Morrison to let Tharni, Kopi and their loving Mum and Dad come #hometobilo. Thank you so much if you donated to help make this happen.
On Monday night, the ABC is airing an Australian Story episode about our three and half-year battle to bring Priya, Nades and the girls home to Biloela. Then, on Tuesday, we are putting powerful full-page ads in daily newspapers.
The recent reports of atrocities Tamil people like Priya, Nades, Kopika and Tharni are facing in Sri Lanka are truly terrifying. Instead of putting this family through another agonising countdown, Scott Morrison’s Ministers could easily bring them home to Biloela with the stroke of a pen.
Under Australian law, Mr Morrison’s Ministers have the power to end this much-loved family’s ordeal today, but it looks like we need to do more to get this family safely #hometobilo. If you haven’t yet chipped in to our crowdfunder, you can donate here - every little bit counts.
With hope,
Angela