Share on Twitter
It’s a familiar scene. A four-year-old’s birthday party in a regional town’s community park. Children play games in the grass while a polka dot Happy Birthday banner and candy-coloured balloons sway in the winter breeze.
But at this particular party, held on Sunday afternoon in the small Queensland town of Biloela, the birthday girl Tharnicaa Murugappan was 4,392 kilometres away in a room at the Perth Children’s Hospital.
The young Tamil asylum seeker has spent the week battling a blood infection caused by untreated pneumonia. On Monday, almost a week earlier, she was medically evacuated with her mother from a detention centre on Christmas Island after 10 days of fever, vomiting and diarrhea.
 After years of campaigns, the return of the Tamil asylum seeker family from their two-year offshore detention has been confirmed, with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg telling media they will be reunited on Australian soil . Mr Frydenberg made the comment during interviews with media on Tuesday morning, but no other details were given. I can confirm the reports that the family will be reunited on Australian shores is correct, Mr Frydenberg told Today, refusing to confirm whether the family will be granted permanent Australian residency. That will happen very soon and the minister (for immigration) will make a statement today. But a decision regarding their visa status is still to come, as the family s fight to return to their adoptive regional Queensland town of Biloela continues.
 After years of campaigns, the return of the Tamil asylum seeker family from their two-year offshore detention has been confirmed, with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg telling media they will be reunited on Australian soil . Mr Frydenberg made the comment during interviews with media on Tuesday morning, but no other details were given. I can confirm the reports that the family will be reunited on Australian shores is correct, Mr Frydenberg told Today, refusing to confirm whether the family will be granted permanent Australian residency. That will happen very soon and the minister (for immigration) will make a statement today. But a decision regarding their visa status is still to come, as the family s fight to return to their adoptive regional Queensland town of Biloela continues.
10 things you need to know this morning in Australia James Hennessy
1.
It looks like we have an Australia-UK free trade agreement, per the Sydney Morning Herald. It s the first big trade deal struck by the UK since Brexit. The in-principle agreement is expected to include a visa rethink which will make it easier for professionals and young travellers to live and work in Britain and vice versa.
2.
Australian property prices rose by 7% in the three months to May, reflecting a rate last seen in 1988, according to CoreLogic. The growth was led by Sydney, jumping 9.3% in just 12 weeks. The latest data shows a record $31 billion flooded into the property market in April alone, with some signs emerging that lending is becoming increasingly risky.
Government should come clean about plans for Tamil family15/06/2021|6min
Former Labor Senator Stephen Conroy says the government should “come clean” about its plans for the Tamil family after Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced they will be reunited in Perth.
He said the government should “stop pretending” it is only a temporary measure and admit the family will be allowed to stay.
“They clearly now intend to allow them to stay in Australia and they should just be honest about it,” Mr Conroy told Sky News.
“People shouldn’t think that this means this should be the permanent situation for everybody who comes.”