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Home to Biloela - The Story of The Tamil Family That Captured Our Hearts Paperback $11 (RRP $35) + $4 Shipping ($0 C&C) @ BIG W

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Home to Biloela - The Story of The Tamil Family That Captured Our Hearts Paperback $11 (RRP $35) + $4 Shipping ($0 C&C) @ BIG WAffiliate
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enthusiast on 05/01/2024 - 14:11 bigw.com.au (904 clicks)
Last edited 08/01/2024 - 19:02 by 1 other user
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Picked up one of these books the other day and it is captivating so far. I reckon a must read for all Australians - the personal story behind the headlines over the past 5 years.

It's just a recent release, launched in October.

Originally discounted to $11 by Target as part of their sale - quite a few stores out of stock, but available for free C&C in some and free delivery with OnePass: https://www.target.com.au/p/home-to-biloela-priya-nadesaling…

Big W have matched their price, and have much more stock around in their stores (+ $4 delivery): https://www.bigw.com.au/product/home-to-biloela-by-priya-nad…

Amazon have now matched their price, too - plus postage - or free postage for Prime buyers: https://www.amazon.com.au/Home-Biloela-family-captured-heart…

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closed Comments

  • Gamer Dad Reviews on 05/01/2024 - 14:13
    +12

    Spelled “Sri Lanka” wrong…

      • buffalo bill on 05/01/2024 - 14:41
        -1

        He's not wrong. Every single Australian could read this book but until Sri Lankans do it won't change the ethnic persecution they allegedly endure.

        Glad they found refuge here though in regional Queensland. Maybe some other nationalities could learn something from how welcoming Australians can be.

        • Flying Ace on 05/01/2024 - 15:03
          +14

          Maybe some other nationalities could learn something from how welcoming Australians can be.

          Lol righto - countless governments have been voted in on the backs of cruel immigration policies.

          • banana365 on 05/01/2024 - 16:53
            -1

            @Flying Ace: Yeah, just look at the Tories on the UK right now. They're polling abysmally so they're really ramping up the cruel immigration policies. They know they've got a lot of bigoted voters, but they're not the ones they should be trying to appeal to, it's the ones who don't like that kind of policy that are going to be put off voting for them. That said, I'm happy for them to further screw their chances of winning an election.

          • garddn on 05/01/2024 - 17:53
            +20

            @Flying Ace: What's wrong with vetting people that want to live amongst us?
            The west can't take on everyone.

          • infinite on 05/01/2024 - 21:58
            +2

            @Flying Ace: How many of these immigrants have you chosen to house and pay for ?

        • Nirmitha on 05/01/2024 - 15:15
          +58

          nice story and I'm sure they are a lovely family. But the ethnic persecution claim is quite overblown. Pre-2000s, maybe. Pre-1990s, yes. But since then this has been used as a tool by lots of Tamils to migrate to Canada, UK and Aus claiming refugee status. That diaspora has done an excellent job painting a picture that doesn't exist in modern Sri Lanka. One of the comments here sums it up:

          "Does it explain why, as Tamils, they had to travel 6000 kilometres to Australia rather than just 50 kilometres to Tamil Nadu, the state in India which is the home land of Tamils?"

          • McCloud on 05/01/2024 - 15:26

            @Nirmitha: So… are they being hijacked,held at gun point, murdered and raped?

            Come back to me when they do… there are other countries worse off than them.

          • R4 on 05/01/2024 - 15:36
            +4

            @Nirmitha: No Centrelink, Medicare, Western economy, rule of law etc there.

          • Tamagotchi Breeder on 05/01/2024 - 16:20
            +32

            @Nirmitha: Completely agree @Nirmitha, my wife is Tamil Sri Lankan and I've been to Sri Lanka many times myself, I've even learnt some basic Tamil and Sinhalese. My wife's family have the opinion that the "ethnic persecution" claims are completely fabricated and/or grossly exaggerated.

            My wife's family migrated to Australia via legal avenues and they have no sympathy for this family.
            In Sri Lanka, Tamils and Sinhalese are treated as equals and get along just fine now. My mother-in-law even lived in Colombo and Kandy (large Sinhalese populations) and never experienced "ethnic persecution" before she left nor on her subsequent return trips to visit family.

            • garddn on 05/01/2024 - 17:55
              +16

              @Tamagotchi Breeder: Of course they are. The west are taken as fools. People take advantage of our tolerance and welfare state.

              • PAPower on 06/01/2024 - 00:14
                +6

                @garddn: Except these people did not and will not take advantage of Australian welfare.

                The Holden bogans will.

          • SydBoy on 05/01/2024 - 16:33
            +17

            @Nirmitha: Absolutely correct point and since the boats are stopped hundreds are coming on plane but there is no reporting or count of it published by media as it isn't as sensational as boats… !

            Irony is that they come to Australia for peaceful life but reality is that they all come here for financial uplifting at a cost of those who are paying tax like donkey in this country (like myself and many other PAYG employees)… !

            • garddn on 05/01/2024 - 17:57
              +3

              @SydBoy: It was recently reported that 2000 per month are seeking asylum. Many from safe countries and many are students looking at getting a better life.
              Australia can't take in everyone and should be much more selective in who gets to live here. Especially dieting a housing crisis. But it's Labor in charge and they always lose control of the borders.

              • SydBoy on 05/01/2024 - 19:11
                +7

                @garddn: You can't just blame Labor because immigration was increased significantly during Howard time and obviously Labor and liberals keep increasing yearly cap. The reason why liberal wanted more migrants is because they want more cheap work force available to wealthy rich business owners who supports liberal…. While Labor prefer more migrants as they consider migrants as their vote bank as chances o any new migrant or asylum seekers to vote Labor is much higher then liberal…so can't fault one party on this matter.

                Sure Labor had bad past when it comes to stopping boats but they learned their lesson and now what we need it reduce migration to below 50k per year and no migrants to be allowed to live in Sydney and Melbourne for 10 years… !

                • amsaini15 on 06/01/2024 - 02:17

                  @SydBoy: @SydBoy for PM

                • garddn on 06/01/2024 - 21:07
                  -1

                  @SydBoy: Yep, and Labor lost control of the borders once again. Their forecasts were way off.

              • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 19:35
                +9

                @garddn: We don't take everyone - plenty of other countries take more than their fair share.

                We are also quite selective, which is why so many end up in detention.

                I also find it interesting that people straight away point to immigration as the reason behind the housing crisis, and not look at other underlying factors such as negative gearing. But when Labor tried to fix that, nobody wanted a bar of it. Up to 10% of our houses are currently unoccupied, or just over 1 million homes. We should be asking how some people cannot afford to have a house, whilst others can afford to leave them vacant.

                Labor has reduced immigration numbers, but we should be pulling other levers as well. Unfortunately the media in Australia is very good at pointing people away from the rich folk and towards the easy targets, and the general population lap it up.

                • SydBoy on 05/01/2024 - 20:09
                  +2

                  @The Hobo: Well, I agree with your point about negative gearing is the one of the reason apart from higher migration and student intake behind Australian real-estate prices…. but real reason was previous governor installed by Liberals who kept interest rates so low for so long and even after that did everything until in the chair to keep them lower and not increase when US was increasing almost every month…. so if anyone to blame for current housing condition then it is previous RBA governor employed during liberal time in my opinion … ~!

                  if labor is smart (I doubt in Anthony though) then they will do what Biden did … in US interest rates were lifted mostly every month and today they controlled inflation and ready to lower the interest rate and the reason Biden did was because he wanted make sure that interest rate goes down in the election year … so if labor want to win then they need to push up the interest rates and lower the inflation and stop giving any type of grants to anyone (new home owners or new build grants)… and then start changing policy in election year… !

                  Thing to consider before blaming negative gearing is that almost every country US or Australia or UK has some sort of incentive for people to invest in property because most countries where manufacturing isn't the king to make money are depend upon either mining or construction. luckily Australia has mining and also construction in addition to farming as the key economy drivers so support to property is good but giving first home owner grant for houses up to 800k is nothing but dumb decision because building will just inflate the price and some dumb owner will pay for it as well.

                  • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 20:36
                    +3

                    @SydBoy: Completely agree that the lower interest rates (combined with Lowe stating that interest rates won't go up till 2024) are a huge factor.

                    Problem with your solution for Albo fixing it is our media - every single time the interest rates have gone up, they plaster pictures of Albo, and the Liberals start tweeting "it aint easy under Albanese" etc. - despite raising interest rates being the right thing to do. Unfortunately the vast majority of voters are oblivious to how the whole thing works and the Liberals feed off it.

                    Whilst other countries have incentives, nothing comes close to what we have here.

                    We have mining, but we have absolutely wasted such a great opportunity to set ourselves up for the future. Look at other countries and how they have benefited from their resources with long term investments. We have extremely short term benefits - caused by all political parties being in bed with the mining companies.

                    • SydBoy on 05/01/2024 - 21:33

                      @The Hobo: I won't get into tax benefits of property investment in us but google it and you will see it there . !

                      However, I think we can not simply change rules without considering lots of other factors so I do support that negative gearing and capital gain discount should be limited to one investment property only for individual business and trust… ! If you don't include business and trust then people on Facebook ad start talking about how to establish company and trust to buy pass the law .. 😂

                      Press in every developed world will support pro business political party so not surprising but that is why we need strong leadership who takes tough decision.. ! Albo has to increase now to take that to 5% before pausing and reducing in election year… !

                      If you look at recent property report then most capital city in Australia got price increase in property in 2023 even at this interest rate.. !

                • DellDealLols on 05/01/2024 - 20:21
                  +1

                  @The Hobo:

                  Up to 10% of our houses are currently unoccupied, or just over 1 million homes. We should be asking how some people cannot afford to have a house, whilst others can afford to leave them vacant.

                  Is this true ? and are these houses livable ? There's houses 6 hours drive from the nearest city that are vacant but the masters wont push for indefinite work form home so they don't do me any good …

                  Negative gearing isn't really the issue, a complete lack of national conviction to make housing affordable is, I dont care if I'm sentenced to rent for ever if housing is available and I can have certainty that I wont have to suddenly uproot my life and move 5 suburbs further from where I currently live just to find a place.

                  Affordability isn't even the biggest concern right now availability is and when you go to house inspections and see old mate walk up to the REA and go "I'll pay for 3 years upfront" You start to get a sense for how (profanity) you are.

                  • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 20:41
                    -1

                    @DellDealLols: It is true, I don't know if they are livable or not though.

                    Negative gearing is the reason housing is not being made affordable. People use it to reduce their taxes whilst holding an appreciating asset. It is great for those that can afford it and have multiple houses. Most politicians own multiple houses, and therefore it's not in their interest to see prices come down. It is the biggest reason for our high prices.

                    I know what you mean for availability - we've been trying to buy a new house and regularly see offers in cash that are 300k over the initial price. Seems to have calmed down a bit.

                    The very first step, and a simple one at that, should be to prevent foreign ownership of houses. Negative gearing should be second if we are fair dinkum about it.

          • Schrodinger on 05/01/2024 - 23:06
            +1

            @Nirmitha: Seriously, people should do their research. By research I mean read articles that are biassed towards both sides and draw conclusions since most articles are biassed when it comes to subjects like this.

            Just because people exaggerate a reason to gain refugee status doesn't mean it's true. I've personally heard from people who admitted that they made false claims to gain the refugee status. It's shameful but it's the reality - some people would say anything for a better life.

          • LittleLink on 06/01/2024 - 16:52
            -4

            @Nirmitha: Tamils have faced 76 years of state sponsored killing, torture, sexual violence, arbitrary imprisonment, discrimination and systemic racism that culiminated in the peak of the Tamil Genocide in 2009 where anywhere between 40,000-70,000 Tamils mostly civilians were brutally killed by Sri Lanka Government Armed Forces with the full backing of the highest levels of government (former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was defence secretary at the time). What is happening in Gaza right now perfectly mirrors what happened in the North and East of Sri Lanka in 2009.

            Civilians were forcibly horded into supposed safe 'No Fire Zones' and then indiscriminately bombed in a deliberate fashion by the Sri Lankan military, all whilst they had food, water and medical supplies cut off from theses areas. The evidence for these war crimes and the Genocide are clearly documented in the UK Channel 4 Documentary - No Fire Zone https://nofirezone.org/

            There has been no justice or accountability for what happened in 2009 with not a single war crimes prosecution. 100,000s of Tamils were then held in interment camps under appalling conditions after the end of the conflict for several years which is the period during which Nades and Priya left. The country is still run by many of these high ranking officials responsible for the Genocide in 2009.

            Please read their story to understand the truth of what happened to them individually. Priya's husband was burned alive by armed forces, her mother sexually assaulted. So many mistruths have been spread about the family by prominent people such as Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison, who words the average Australian takes at face value without ever questioning.

            The 'Fast Track' Asylum claim processing system through which Nades and Priya's claims (as well as 10,000 other asylum seekers) were initially denied has been thorough discredited by legal experts from across Australia.

            The courts have nothing to do with assessing the merits of a person's asylum claim. They can only review matters of process regarding the application so it is completely wrong to say the courts have said they are not refugees.

            Finally, the country report on Sri Lanka from the Department of Foreign Affairs used to assess Asylum claims has been thoroughly discreted by a ruling by the UK Upper Tribunal that critised its lack of credible sources.

            The UN High Humans Commission continues to flag ongoing human rights abuses including torture and arbitrary imprisonment that it reports continues to be disproportionately used against Tamils. There are several examples of Tamils being killed in custody in 2022-2023 in the North and East This is in addition to the heavy militarisation of Tamil areas in the North and East with the military even running schools and many businesses. Tamils continue to live in a security state under oppressive surveillance where they are at constant risk of physical and sexual violence and torture. Tamils also regularly suffer arbitrary imprisonment, including politicians and journalists. Tamils can live in Sri Lanka but only if they are prepared to forget the genocide, not seek justice or true freedom from persecution through self-government.

            The extremist Sinhala Buddhist chauvinists in power have cultivated anti-Tamil and anti-Muslim hatred and racism for decades to distract the majority population from their own corruption and mismanagement. They see Sri Lanka as a Sinhala Buddhist state and want nothing but for the Tamils to disappear or stay quiet and accept their fate as second class citizens.

            Sure you can travel to Sri Lanka on an Australian passport have a great time in Colombo. Heck, you could probably go to Jerusalem right now and have a ball while the Israeli government rains down hell on Gaza. But the reality is very different if you want to be a Tamil who lives in Sri Lanka, who wants to proudly celebrates your identity, your history (including that of resisting genocide for 76 years) and one demands justice and equal rights. The oppression againsts Tamils extends into consitutional law making it illegal to advocate for a separate independent Tamil State, a law regularly used to imprison and persecute Tamils over what should be any people's fundamental right.

            To this day, Tamil lands continue to be taken over by the military and for Sinhalese settlers whilst the Tamil cultural identity of the North and East is erased through the demolishing of Tamil religious sites (replaced by Buddhist temples) and the renaming of Tamil areas. Once again this is not dissimilar to what has happened in Palestine for 76 years as well.

            So much misinformation with the narrative being controlled by those in power that then deceive the masses in Australia and Sri Lanka. Australia's governments, which include Labor have also been prepared to ignore the war crimes and genocide committed against Tamils. They have never once called for accountability in Sri Lanka (because they need the Sri Lankan Govt's help to people fleeing Sri Lanka by boat), much like they still truly fail to do when it comes to Israel, because the Australian government's interest is only in stopping boats to win votes through their racist wedge politics. They are happy to ignore war crimes and genocide as long as it saves their own political skins. If you really want to help stop Boats, you would work with the International Community to help address the Human Rights issues and ensure accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka. I doubt a single person would leave then if a truly just multicultural society with the impartial rule of rule was established, as well as allowing the right to advocate for secession or self-government under a federal system by any people that wish to do so.

            • Nirmitha on 06/01/2024 - 17:16
              +4

              @LittleLink: You're either indoctrined heavily in a bubble, never lived there or a terrorist sympathiser (most likely given your narrative) and intentionally twisting history. This fake narrative expired a long time time ago and anyone with half a brain can see through it.

              Conflating a war against a brutal terrorist group and twisting it to sound as if one ethnic group was eliminating another is an insult to all ethnic groups in SL.

              Economically, the country is a failure, thanks largely to 30 years of civil war against terrorism. But socially, they have more harmony than most places in the world in recent decades.

              • LittleLink on 06/01/2024 - 22:00
                -3

                @Nirmitha: You have clearly bought into the propaganda of war criminals such as the Rajapaksas. The insult is for you to pretend that over 40,000 Tamil civilians were not killed by the Sri Lankan military in 2009 alone through targeted indiscriminate bombing. The evidence is incontrovertible.

                Right wing capitalist Buddhist Sinhala chauvinists have sown seeds of division in Sri Lanka since Independence to distract attention from their own failings. The have sold the populace lies for decades including lying about the civilian death toll in 2009.

                Tamils only took up arms after having their legitimate pleas for the end of the communal violence and discrimination targeting them since Independence. I don't agree with how the Tamil Tigers went about things but you can't dismiss the underlying reasons for the conflict which were very much legitimate.

                It is wrong to say the economic crisis was 'largely' as a result of the conflict. All reputable sources reference gross mismanagement by the Rajapaksas in terms of tax cuts, bans on imports including fertilisers to deal with their trade deficit and subsequent crops failures, exorbitant post-conflict military spending with the final nail being the COVID-19 pandemic. This is of course without even broaching the alleged corruption perpetrated by the Rajapaksa family who stand accused of stealing billions from the Sri Lankan people. A political hot potato that no one in Sri Lanka has the balls to tackle in a country where extra-judicial killings of journalists and politicians has been the norm.

                • Tamagotchi Breeder on 07/01/2024 - 13:44
                  +2

                  @LittleLink: Typical, someone telling a Sri Lankan how "bad it is/was" based on sensationalised articles they've read from their favourite left wing publications that love to create division in peaceful societies.
                  When was the last time you went to Jaffna,? Are you even a Tamil who grew up there?
                  Our family fiends lived there and go back there regularly, I think they'll disagree with most of your statements.
                  Unless you are Sri Lankan I don't think you should be telling Nirmitha about what is going on or has gone on in their own country (Nirmitha is a Sri Lankan name so i can only assume they are Sri Lankan).

                  My wife was literally shaking her head in disbelief when I showed her some of the comments you posted.

                  • Nirmitha on 07/01/2024 - 15:04
                    +2

                    @Tamagotchi Breeder: There's a lot like this person in expat communities - loads of resentment carried by them after decades of campaigning against a sovereign nation eventually failed (underlying intent - get international backing to create a separate state). With little to no lived experience.

                    The tidbits like Channel 4 documentaries were all curated with that intent with heavy lobbying by those who donated to or sympathized with the LTTE (the terrorists).

                    The war's over now and all their misguided efforts are down the drain. But the resentment remains. The only remaining use case for their narrative is to use it for refugee claims!

                    As you said, a visit to Jaffna and getting to know locals will tell you all you need to know.

                    • LittleLink on 07/02/2024 - 08:37

                      @Nirmitha: I am Tamil, born in Jaffna.

                      https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/09/accountability-central-sri-lankas-future-un-human-rights-report#:~:text=GENEVA%20(6%20September%202023)%20%E2%80%93,Office%20report%20published%20on%20Wednesday.

                      The above is a recent publication from just another 'Left Wing Publication' called the United Nations.

                      As I have said the narrative is controlled by the victors and I am saddened to hear ongoing denials of the mass killing of Tamil civilians that even conservative estimates by the UN put at around 40,000. There is very credible evidence of war crimes and it seems your are asking Tamils and the World to just forget and move on regarding the indiscriminate killing of 40,000 and likely many more civilians in 2009. This is not history. This is the present.

                      Without truth and justice there can be no reconciliation.

                      Will you not even acknowledge the role of your corrupt criminal politicians such as the Rajapaksas in the troubles facing Sri Lanka.

                      https://itjpsl.com/assets/29-English_Gotabaya-Rajapaksas-war…

                      For decades since Independence the wealthy ruling capitalists in Sri Lanka have played the game of wedge politics and seeded divisions amongst the population, scapegoating minorities for the country's ills whilst they stripped the country of it's wealth and prosperity through criminal actions and poor governance.

                      It is not a crime to advocate for self-determination and indepedence as per the UN Charter:
                      Article 1 (2) - Equal rights and self-determination of peoples. Article 1 (2) establishes that one of the main purposes of the United Nations, and thus the Security Council, is to develop friendly international relations based on respect for the “principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples”.

                      Please stop playing Donald Trump type games and labelling everything as 'fake news' and propaganda. There is very credible evidence of past human rights abuses, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ongoing human rights violations in Sri Lanka and that only the Sri Lanka government's recalcitrance and own propaganda to the masses and the International community prevents the majority of the country having an appreciation for. Just because something was written by a supposed 'Left Wing' source does not make it an untruth.

                      I am not afraid to have an open honest discussion and willingly admit that all Sri Lankan's suffered during the conflict years and the current economic crisis. But it serves no one by such staunch adherence to a narrative propagated by the very criminals that have harmed your country and prevented a peaceful resolution regarding the very legitimate demands for self-determination and an end to systematic discrimination and targeted violence perpetrated against the Tamil community.

    • OfTheOverflow on 05/01/2024 - 14:28
      +31

      big words from someone who's only had to flee the console wars. 🫡

      • hornoscous on 05/01/2024 - 14:57
        +5

        I'm still having flashbacks from being sniped by fanbois when trying buy a ps5. It was a war I may never forget…

    • Lizard Spock on 05/01/2024 - 14:30
      +13

      Sri, this is a Wendy's

    • gfjh567gh3 on 05/01/2024 - 17:26
      +8

      Do all of the bleeding hearts crying about ethnic and religious persecution in Sri Lanka have anything to say about population density and multiculturalism being the root of the issue?

      Anyone that jumps through hoops to legally emigrate to the West are suckers. Personally, I'd hop across the Mexican border to USA

      OK, now back to trying to find a rental for less than 50% of my after tax income in a major city…

      • DellDealLols on 05/01/2024 - 20:22

        OK, now back to trying to find a rental for less than 50% of my after tax income in a major city…

        In ? you mean 30 minutes commute from right ?

  • Thefong on 05/01/2024 - 14:38
    +70

    The thrilling story of how the government was forced to grant visas because it was an election year, and they needed the sympathetic vote.

    • Rain Cloud on 05/01/2024 - 14:59
      +22

      One good thing about it is we stopped having to hear about it on the news

    • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 15:02
      +11

      They were fighting for their release long before it was an election year.

      They became a bit of a political football, glad they finally got the outcome they desired.

      • Rain Cloud on 05/01/2024 - 15:08
        +12

        From memory their asylum claim was rejected thats why they were deported (or they tried to). The only difference between them and others that were actually deported is the media attention that got them their 'outcome' at election time

        • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 15:25
          +2

          This was in 2019, Labor was always supportive of them, and had nothing to do with election years. This article was about as far from an election as it can possibly be.

          https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/18/the-b…

          • Rain Cloud on 05/01/2024 - 15:32
            +5

            @The Hobo: Didnt they promise them visas if they got elected when they were campaigning? I have a vague memory of them showing the family on the news just before the election

            https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/why-the-fate-of-biloelas…

            • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 15:37
              -1

              @Rain Cloud: Possibly - but especially given they don't have voting rights, i'm not sure what the issue is?

              • Rain Cloud on 05/01/2024 - 15:40
                +2

                @The Hobo: You mean the 2 adult's votes? Im sure they weren't after their 2 votes even if they could vote, but the votes of voting citizens who want them to stay lol

                • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 15:43

                  @Rain Cloud: It's hardly an election deciding issue though is it. Who is giving up their vote on this one issue

                  At least they were upfront about it, and as I've shown already - had nothing to do with being an election year - which was the main point I was disputing.

                  • Rain Cloud on 05/01/2024 - 15:48
                    +5

                    @The Hobo: Its not election deciding - but it remains they were granted visas to stay by the Labor government after they promised they would after winning 🤷🏻‍♀️ if the Coalition won they probably would have been deported/remained in detention

                • buffalo bill on 05/01/2024 - 16:18

                  @Rain Cloud: Lol… Albo will be gagging for those 2 votes come next year. He'll probably call in the favour personally.

    • Gehirn on 05/01/2024 - 15:24
      +36

      I like this story.

      "On 21 October 2019, it was revealed in Senate estimates that the Australian government had spent approximately $30 million re-opening Christmas Island Detention Center and filling it with more than 100 staff, while the only detainees were the four members of the Murugappan family"

      Better economic managers lol.

      • bargain huntress on 05/01/2024 - 15:34
        +4

        That is rediculous

      • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 15:39
        +12

        It wasn't just the $30m in re-opening, the operating costs per day was quite high.

      • enthusiast on 05/01/2024 - 15:39
        +7

        Such a waster of taxpayers money. Totally unnecessary!

        • Gdsamp on 05/01/2024 - 15:44
          +18

          Such a waster of taxpayers money. Totally unnecessary!

          Yep should've been on the first flight back ,

    • garddn on 05/01/2024 - 17:58
      +1

      Nailed it

  • jong on 05/01/2024 - 14:49
    +51

    Does it explain why, as Tamils, they had to travel 6000 kilometres to Australia rather than just 50 kilometres to Tamil Nadu, the state in India which is the home land of Tamils?

    Because that bit always seemed to be left out of the media coverage.

    • buffalo bill on 05/01/2024 - 14:56
      +14

      If every refugee who arrived via boat had to satisfactorily justify why Australia was their destination, we'd only ever allow people from PNG and maybe a few broke Kiwis.

      • nepalicurryinahurry on 05/01/2024 - 15:02
        +6

        Every immigrant who has left their birth place has done so to achieve something better. The descendants of the immigrant might have become a citizen and true bloody Australians, but every one barring native Australians were immigrants once.

        Non-Australians come to Australia, Australians also leave Australia.

        • buffalo bill on 05/01/2024 - 15:06
          +6

          Correct. And nothing against that, but you would hope for the worlds sake we are not the only safe country within 6000km.

        • bargainhunter on 05/01/2024 - 15:37
          +3

          They were immigrants too

        • SydBoy on 05/01/2024 - 16:37
          +7

          Absolutely wrong statement to say "Every immigrant who has left their birth place has done so to achieve something better. " ….. the discussion here is about asylum seeker which is different to immigrant via legal route who are skills or even skilled but do not get same benefit as asylum seeker.. !!!

          don't change topic by mixing immigrant who came legally with illegal asylum seeker !

        • garddn on 05/01/2024 - 17:59
          +2

          Does not mean we can take in everyone.

        • MementoMori on 06/01/2024 - 02:49
          -4

          Well not really. 'Australia' only started to exist in 1788 (or 1901)…

          So yeah we're native Australians, thanks.

      • Binchicken22 on 05/01/2024 - 15:06

        And?

    • dBagDealer on 05/01/2024 - 15:05
      +26

      they are economic migrants after all. getting refugee status is usually a last ditch effort and no I am not going to buy this book.
      happy for the family tho.

      • SupeNintendoChalmers on 05/01/2024 - 15:18
        +4

        Lol, pretty much every person who comes to our shores is an economic migrant. And that spin about, why didn't they settle in southern India is bollocks.

        People who aren't migrants may never understand the difference between security and prosperity.

        Yeah they would almost certainly be secure in Southern India, but opportunities to propser for both them and their children? Unlikely

        • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 15:41
          +3

          Genuine question - what was the likelihood of India accepting them? What's their process?

          • SydBoy on 05/01/2024 - 16:41
            +9

            @The Hobo: well… India has many many sri lankan living there illegally and some asking asylum as well…. the question is why they didn't go to India which is safe to travel and safe to live in their own motherland where millions of other tamil live from centuries and from where even their own ancestor would have migrated to srilanka in first place… ??

            the real reason is in India they don't feed anyone for free which Australia does and Centrelink and green's will help them pay out of the tax that i and many other tax payer pays… !

            • nomadspartan on 05/01/2024 - 18:59
              +3

              @SydBoy: India has welfare programs that target the poorest of the population, so they do feed people for free.

              • SydBoy on 05/01/2024 - 19:05
                +2

                @nomadspartan: Sure religious places feed people but when population is in billions not everyone get the food unless they work… unlike here where asylum seekers gets lots and lots of benefits.

                However, the point is India is safe for Tamil people particularly in Tamil Nadu state which is dominated by Tamil population…. ! Same people that came from sri Lanka to Australia instead of going back to their own mother land… !

                Issue for me isn't migration but it is asylum…seeker and not just SriLankan but anyone claiming asylum…. !

        • Sanitygone on 05/01/2024 - 23:22
          +2

          I think the point being made here is that they aren't really "genuine" refugees. If they really had nowhere to go and were suffering from persecution, why risk coming to Australia when they would be much easier and just as secure to immigrate to Tamil Nadu? Instead they took advantage and painted this story of ethnic persecution to immigrate here. Its disingenuous.

    • Hotwheels on 05/01/2024 - 16:30
      +7

      We have refugees from iraq and lebanon here. They're so far away from australia and a lot closer to UAE.

      • SupeNintendoChalmers on 05/01/2024 - 18:18
        +1

        See my message above re: Security Vs Prosperity. Yeah they might have security, but prosperity? Dreaming, look at how the UAE anyone who is not Emirati, white or educated when they live in those gulf states.

        I can't imagine people who've never ventured out of Australia or perhaps only Bali to truly understand. Only when your family flees from a military junta because your father is wanted for "interrogation" for organising "illegal trade unions" do people truly understand.

        • MementoMori on 06/01/2024 - 03:00
          +1

          And how many of the worlds 7-8 billion people could and should Australia help like this? Is there some kind of limit?

      • Xizo on 05/01/2024 - 22:07
        +3

        Correct, Australia is very far from both Iraq and Lebanon.

        So remember Australia sent military troops to those countries first, before “welcoming refugees” after they lost their homes and livelihood.

        What was Australia doing in Iraq exactly?

    • teatea on 05/01/2024 - 20:23
      +2

      I think it has something to do with the Geneva Convention. Seeking asylum isn't a right in most countries. Hence the 6000km trip. The process is that you get a list of countries, and you just choose one. Most that are fleeing from wherever don't even know what the country is like.

  • bargain huntress on 05/01/2024 - 15:08
    +8

    During and after the war, Nades travelled via Sri Lanka for work on three occasions on a Sri Lankan passport, on temporary work visas issued by the Sri Lankan government, to Qatar in 2004, Kuwait in 2008 and Qatar again in 2010.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murugappan_family_asylum_cla…

    https://jade.io/article/593353?at.hl=Kirton

  • bargain huntress on 05/01/2024 - 15:13
    +32

    Theyd have been welcome as migrants if they had waited their turn.

    Pretending to be asylum seekers and taking a genuine refugees place is abhorent.

    • Hardlyworkin on 05/01/2024 - 15:21
      +6

      Thank you for the legal advice.

  • dullbeard on 05/01/2024 - 15:14

    OK but it's Biloela

  • enthusiast on 05/01/2024 - 15:33
    +12

    It's amazing how many people already seem to know their personal story, without reading the book! You can't always rely on news reports for the full picture - especially when something is so politicised.

    Be great to put any racial or other prejudices or pre-conceptions aside and read their story - about their situation, background and what they went through. The family, with two Australian-born children, were living in a small country town and contributing to the local community. The husband worked in an abattoir - a job that most Australians would not do.

    Consider what you would do if this was you and your family - walk a mile in their shoes. I'm sure this book will help any readers with that. If out of your budget (it's currently cheaper than the kindle version!), check your local library for the book.

    • JD9151 on 05/01/2024 - 16:14
      +10

      If an abattoir can't attract Australians to work for them that is more telling about the wages and conditions of the abattoir instead of local workers. This was the basis of the Australian labour movement to stop local wages being undercut because foreign labour is effectively a handout to businesses.

      Whether the family are nice or hard working is not relevant to their claims of asylum

      • odysseus on 05/01/2024 - 19:11
        +1

        Sure, they could theoretically raise wages to $100/hour there.

        Then the meat people buy will also go up to $100/kg for steaks.

        As people become better off they are less interested in 'manual' jobs. The solution to that is not to just raise wages infinitely to pull workers out of other sectors who don't want to do it but just do it because it's well paid.

      • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 19:39
        -1

        If only it were so simple.

        The abattoirs are not making massive profits - if you follow the money, it ends up in Coles and Woolies pockets.

        It's not foreign labour that's the issue, it's Colesworth squeezing the suppliers to barely be profitable.

        • JD9151 on 05/01/2024 - 19:46
          +5

          Coles and Woolworths are both members of the Business Council of Australia which lobbies for increased migration levels.

          A higher population means more consumers and a greater labour pool which benefits big business profits.

          • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 19:50
            -1

            @JD9151: Sure - but my point is that regardless of migration, the wages at the abattoir are not going to improve substantially

            • CommuterPolluter on 05/01/2024 - 20:03
              +6

              @The Hobo: Without mass migration wages will have to rise. That’s how industrial action worked before Colesworth lobbying started bringing in a quarter million scabs a year.

    • thanatos350 on 05/01/2024 - 16:47
      +3

      It's too easy to disregard or minimize the plight of others if you're only exposed to what the media presents. I thought a lot of it was sort of exaggerated until I started working with new Australian families. The shit I've heard is insane and horrifically common.

      If Australia and NZ suffered what other nations have them I'm sure most of us would seek a life in the same places with the similar supports that they try to settle in, like UK/US/parts of Europe, instead of a stable neighbor like Indonesia (no shade to Indonesia).

      I think some of the issue is that some migrants are perceived to be freeloaders that are happy to game the system and who don't want to contribute or to live within Australian culture, but I don't think it is an accurate appraisal. Most of the people that I come into contact with with want to work, to learn English, to make friends outside of their communities, to contribute economically and socially, and to enjoy our culture. The people who receive welfare support seem to really want to work and to stand on their own feet, and they hold surprisingly favourable feelings toward our government. I've been downright stunned a few times to see families' high regard for the Prime Minister in power when they gained entry, and to hear the phrase "We love Scott Morrison" said without sarcasm.

    • garddn on 05/01/2024 - 18:00
      +5

      Still doesn't mean they should be here or that Australia can take in every person that wants to come here.

  • MaMan on 05/01/2024 - 15:34
    +8

    Hope the profits from the book will go to reimburse Australian Tax payers for the millions of $$ they hit us for.

    • The Hobo on 05/01/2024 - 15:40
      +33

      You mean the millions we spent re-opening the Christmas Island detention centre just for this one family? Not to mention paying thousands per day whilst they were detained?

      Would have been far cheaper to grant their visas, given they were fully assimilated into the community, had jobs and were paying taxes etc etc.

      "On 21 October 2019, it was revealed in Senate estimates that the Australian government had spent approximately $30 million re-opening Christmas Island Detention Center and filling it with more than 100 staff, while the only detainees were the four members of the Murugappan family"

      • Flying Ace on 05/01/2024 - 15:47
        +8

        Money is no issue if it's to score political points.

      • SydBoy on 05/01/2024 - 16:43
        +2

        it would have been cheaper for Australian government to buy $20m worth Indian government bond and interest from that will be able to pay for living of this people in India … lol 😂

        but they don't want to go to India as there is no Centrelink in India !

      • garddn on 05/01/2024 - 18:01

        Let them settle and open the food gates?

  • R4 on 05/01/2024 - 15:41
    +21

    Australia's migration system is a joke - it's now about social engineering and not about benefiting Australia's economy and society.

    • corky on 05/01/2024 - 16:27
      -3

      And compassion for refugees?

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