Murugappan family asylum claims

The Murugappan family, also known as the Nadesalingam family, consists of Nadesalingam Murugappan (Nades), his wife Kokilapathmapriya Nadesalingam (Priya) and their two daughters. They are Sri Lankan Tamils who sought asylum in Australia. The couple married in Australia after arriving separately on people smuggler boats; their children were subsequently born in Australia. After their detention by the Australian Border Force in March 2018, the family, which was resident in the central Queensland town of Biloela, was consequently referred to as the Biloela family by some media. The asylum application of the couple and their children was supported by some residents of Biloela as well as asylum-seeker advocates. The Australian federal government of the time, under Prime Minister Scott Morrison, assessed them not to be refugees and, consequently, detained and sought to remove them.

Following the Labor government win in the 2022 federal election, the family was granted bridging visas to allow them to return to Biloela, and subsequently granted permanent residency. As of August 2025 the family are settled in Biloela. They run a food truck business called Priya Nades Kitchen.