Is it really worth it?
A government tough on crime… and children

Prime Minister Scott Morrison might have hoped that today’s press conference announcing a “tough on crime” global police operation – the threateningly named “Operation Ironside” – would provide a welcome distraction from some of his problems. A distraction from the confirmation of yet another leak from hotel quarantine (in Melbourne this time, solving the mystery of where the Delta outbreak came from), as states continue to call for dedicated federal quarantine facilities. A distraction from the fact that approval rates are dropping for both the PM and his government, amid doubts over his competency, following a week of damning revelations about aged care. A distraction from reports that a little girl in his government’s “care” has developed sepsis due to untreated pneumonia, with questions raised over the time it took for authorities to take her illness seriously. Standing beside AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw and Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews, in front of a backdrop made specially to promote Operation Ironside, Morrison may have got his wish, with the drug bust taking top spot on a number of news sites this afternoon. But nothing could absolve him, morally, from the fact that Tharnicaa Murugappan, the youngest daughter of the so-called Bileola family, is now fighting a life-threatening blood infection, after being denied proper medical treatment in the expensive island prison where Morrison’s government needlessly detains her, all so that he can appear to be tough on borders.

Once Morrison was done talking about the global sting he had little to do with, along with a call for increased police powers, questions soon turned to Tharnicaa and her family’s case. When asked about when a government decision will be made on their future, Morrison referred to the ongoing legal process, with the family still fighting in the courts for the right to stay, but he claimed that “they will continue to receive every medical care” (just not proper treatment for pneumonia, apparently). Andrews – who, regardless of any court process, has the discretionary power to allow the family back into the community right now – went on to say that “a range of resettlement options” was being considered. It was the first mention of any such considerations for the family. “I can’t make public commentary on that at the moment because I don’t want to disrupt those negotiations,” she added. When asked why she wouldn’t just make the call to bring them home, Andrews also referred to the “matter before the court”. The Department of Home Affairs later issued a press release, stating that Australian Border Force “strongly denies any allegations of inaction or mistreatment of individuals in its care”.

Morrison was keen to present his government as tough on crime in this morning’s press conference, and it’s clear he remains as committed as ever to appearing tough on borders, even at the expense of the wellbeing of two Australian-born children – and even when one of them is in hospital. The Morrison government has continued to make an example of this poor family, something Nationals senator Matt Canavan made explicit when asked about the situation on ABC Radio. Asked whether the exorbitant cost of keeping the family detained on Christmas Island was “worth it”, Canavan responded that yes, it was. “I think what is ‘worth it’ is that we do have strong border protections in this country,” he said, “that has made sure that we don’t have the atrocious and tragic trade of people that we saw around 10 years ago.” As if detaining a toddler raised in Australia is the only thing keeping people smugglers at bay.

The government has so far remained firm in its resistance to granting asylum to the Biloela family – even as the Opposition attempts to portray the Coalition as heartless – confident in its bet that the community at large supports its hardline immigration policies. But could a three year old with a pneumonia-induced blood infection be the thing that finally forces a shift? The latest comments from the new home affairs minister – a self-described “compassionate person by nature” – are the strongest indication yet that the government may cave on this one. There are still concerns, though, that “resettlement options” might not mean they are resettled in Australia, or more specifically the Biloela community that loves them and wants them home. 

Even if the federal government does ultimately allow the family to stay in Australia, it has put them through hell in the process, no doubt causing major trauma to two small children, solely to prove its toughness. Just as it was happy to almost starve Victorians if it meant not incentivising lockdowns, it has been content to let the Biloela family’s situation reach the point of “three-year-old suffering sepsis due to lack of medical treatment” if it means not incentivising people seeking asylum in this country. Was it really worth it?

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