“All refugees are survivors. They need hope.”

These were some of Priya’s words yesterday when her family were granted bridging visas allowing them to come home to Biloela.

Friends, this family’s journey won’t be over until they have the security of permanent visas. But today, as we celebrate this important step, can you please chip in to help Priya and her family get back on their feet?

“My prayer is that this government will make a change to the lives of every single refugee who comes here,” Priya said.

“I had the support of Nades and we had the support of the people of Bilo. But many others don’t have that support. So I want to help.”

When the guards first snatched Priya, Nades, Kopi and Tharni from their Biloela home, no-one in Biloela knew where they'd been taken. We feared they’d been forced from Australia to Sri Lanka, where Tamil people face horrific torture and abuse.

Then, a phone call from the Tamil Refugee Council brought hope - Priya, Nades, Kopi and Tharni were being detained in Melbourne, but they were still in Australia. That’s when our four year battle to bring them safely home to Biloela began.

The longer I’ve walked with Priya and her family on their long journey home to safety and freedom, the more I’ve learned about the dangers for Tamil people forced back to Sri Lanka.

There are so many people like Priya, Nades, Kopi and Tharni, whose stories have not been heard. Families who’ve lived and worked as part of our communities for years, fearing that the guards will come for them too.

I know how heavily their plight weighs on Nades and Priya’s minds.

I also remember how, in Biloela, Nades volunteered with the local Vinnies and Priya brought her curries up to the local hospital.

So, once we’ve achieved our goal of replacing some of the wages lost to this family during 1200 days of unjust detention, every extra dollar donated to our crowdfunder will be shared between local causes that are important to this family and campaigns to win freedom and safety for others at risk of being forced from Australia to danger.

After four years, it still feels hard to believe Priya, Nades, Kopi and Tharni are finally coming home to Biloela, as soon as early June.

There's still work to do before this family have the true freedom and safety that will only come with permanent visas to stay in Australia.

But for now, let's acknowledge this important step forward and do all we can to help Priya, Nades, Kopi and Tharni get back on their feet in Biloela.

With hope,

Angela

PS After years of misinformation from the previous government, it’s understandable that some media have incorrectly reported that the granting of a permanent visa is “a matter for the courts”. The simple fact is that the Ministers’ powers to grant visas are completely independent of any court.