Albanese Says ‘No Impediment’ To Permanent Residency For Tamil Family As Biloela Celebrate Their Return Home

Celebrations continue in Central Queensland across the weekend, as the Nadesalingam family spend their first days back in Biloela.

Back in Biloela, Priya Nadaraja, Nades Murugappan and their daughters, Kopika Nadesalingam and Tharnicaa Nadesalingam were guests of honour at the Flourish multicultural festival where, after a smoking ceremony by Gangulu traditional owners, the family received a standing ovation from the crowd. 

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With the help of a translator, Priya told the audience that she would "dedicate my life to the Biloela community" now that she was home.

"My children will be studying, and they will have their safe lives here," she said.

"I feel fulfilled when I touch this land and I feel like I was reborn again.

"Each one of you from this town have fought so much. You have dedicated so much to bring us home and I'm so grateful for that and I can't thank you enough for that," she said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flagged on Saturday that the Tamil refugee family have been given bridging visas, but more permanent visas were expected for them shortly.

“The only way that it could happen is ... the visa being issued, and then that application will go through. But I see no impediment to that occurring,” he told reporters.

The Prime Minister said that the treatment of the Nadesalingam family by the previous government is tragically a legacy “Australia can’t be proud of”.

“A family including two young, little girls who were born here in Australia taken in the middle of the night and having four years in detention

“The youngest girl will celebrate her fifth birthday, I think this weekend, soon and that will be the first birthday she has celebrated not in detention," he said.

“We’re a better country than that. We can do better than that. My government will do better

- PM Albanese

The families long-awaited to return to their home in the regional Queensland town of Biloela was announced following Labor's Federal Election win.

The Nadesalingam’s were well regarded in the close-knit town of Biloela, with friends and community leaders fighting for their return since they were taken away in an early morning raid by the Australian Border Force in 2019.

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