 The Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton stated that the family's case was "completely without merit in terms of their claim to be refugees" and "I would like the family to accept that they are not refugees, they're not owed protection by our country".Prime Minister Scott Morrison refused calls to intervene, stating "they didn't come to the country in the appropriate way.They have not been found to have an asylum claim" and "to exercise intervention powers on this would be to send exactly the wrong message to those who are looking to sell tickets to vulnerable people looking to get on boats ..." Morrison stated that the family remain eligible to lodge an application to migrate to Australia; "they can make an application to come to Australia under the same processes as everyone else, anywhere else in the world.