Defence Minister Peter Dutton has expressed his frustration at a Tamil asylum-seeker family sent into community detention after two years on Christmas Island.
Mr Dutton has spent years pushing back against a campaign to let the family return home to Biloela.
He has long argued they are not owed protection and should be sent to Sri Lanka.
"It's been a frustrating case because every court, every tribunal, every decision maker has been very clear to this family that they are not refugees," Mr Dutton told Nine Entertainment.
"This family has not ever been found to be owed protection."
The Murugappan family was relocated to Perth after four-year-old Tharnicaa was sent there for medical treatment.
They will be allowed to stay in Perth until their legal fight against deportation is resolved.
But they will not be allowed back to Biloela and the government has not decided whether any of the family members can reapply to stay in Australia.
Mr Dutton claimed showing the family compassion would sent the wrong signal to people smugglers.
"The people smugglers watch all of these cases," he said.
"We've got to be very careful."
