Four years ago, immigration officers arrived at dawn to rip a Sri Lankan family away from the life they had built in the tiny Australian town of Biloela.

The authorities had rejected claims for asylum filed by the mother, Kokilapathmapriya Nadesalingam, and father, Nadesalingam Murugappan, who had fled Sri Lanka. Their visas had expired, and the couple, along with their two Australian-born daughters, Kopika, 2, and 9-month-oldTharnicaa, were taken into immigration detention.

As the conservative government attempted several times to deport them to Sri Lanka, their supporters campaigned for their release, turning the family into symbols of what human rights groups have called a draconian approach to asylum seekers and refugees in Australia.

On Friday, the Centre-Left government that came to power two months ago putthe fight to rest by allowing the family to stay in Australia permanently. Human rights groups hoped the move signalled the beginning of a more tolerant approach to people seeking asylum.

Immigration minister Andrew Giles said in a statement that the decision to grant permanent residency “follows careful consideration of the Nadesalingam family’s complex and specific circumstances”. He said the government would continue to intercept any asylum seeker boats and return them to their point of origin.