Supporters of a Tamil family who are facing deportation have called on Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to intervene in their case.

September 8, 2018

Friends and supporters of a Tamil family, who are facing deportation, have marched through the rain to Peter Dutton’s Brisbane office.

Singing The Seekers hit I am, you are, we are Australian, the protesters first rallied at a crowd-funded billboard, which demanded the family be returned to their central Queensland home in the town of Biloela.

They then trudged a kilometre to the Home Affairs Minister’s electoral office in Strathpine where family friend Marie Austin addressed the crowd of around 100.

“The reality is one person holds the power to save this family,” she said on Saturday.

If Mr Dutton can intervene for au pairs, then he should be able to help Nades and Priya and their Australian-born daughters Kopika, three, and Tharunicaa, one, she said.

“There is a huge injustice in the way that they have been treated. I have grandchildren the same ages … and it breaks my hear to think of these girls locked up in a detention centre.”

Nades was getting ready for work at the local Biloela meatworks and the children were in bed when Australian Border Force officials raided their house on March 5 after the couple’s temporary bridging visas ran out.

Town residents have been fighting for their release since.

Around 120,000 people signed a petition for their right to stay and it was delivered to Home Affairs Minister in May.

The family had lived in Biloela for around five years, where they had become active and loved members of the community.

The couple lost a bid to stop their deportation at the Federal Circuit Court on June 21.

There are fears for their safety if they are returned to Sri Lanka.