Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack has rejected federal Liberal MPs' calls for a Tamil family detained on Christmas Island to return home to Biloela in Queensland.
Indicating a possible shift inside government on the fate of the Murugappan family, Trent Zimmerman said that while the case was"very complicated", support for them in the Australian community was"overwhelming".Daughter of Biloela Tamil family marks her fourth birthday in hospital as a decision on their future looms
"This week or in the next couple of weeks, will be considering an application to use his powers to give an exemption to the normal requirements," Mr Zimmerman said."I think its time we brought this to an end and brought them back to the mainland.""What we don't want to see is the boats return," he said.
More than 500,000 people have signed a petition asking the federal government to allow the Murugappan family to return home to Biloela, Queensland, where they previously lived. Mr Zimmerman's comments mark a departure from senior government ministers' consistent refusal to soften their hardline stance.
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