Sri Lankan aslyum seeker family arrives In Australia

Waving from the car seat, an asylum seeker father and daughter from Sri Lanka got a taste of freedom as they arrived on Australian soil on Tuesday.

But they face many hurdles before they can actually live freely.

The two were flown to the city of Perth to reunite with the mother and youngest daughter of the family after she became sick and was flown to a major hospital.

The family have been held as the sole occupants of Australia's offshore immigration detention on Christmas Island for two years.

Public anger grew when the family was recently separated and Australia's conservative government gave in to pressure and flew them off the island.

But uncertainty remains over their future.

The government's hardline immigration policy says anyone who arrives by boat without a valid visa is not allowed to settle in Australia.

The adults fled amid civil war in Sri Lanka and arrived separately by boat in 2012. They sought asylum and were married in Australia where their daughters were born. But their asylum applications were rejected.

The small town where they lived before they were detained -Biloela - has been calling for them to be freed and allowed to return to their home.

The Minister for Immigration said the family's reunion on the mainland does not mean they would be given a visa to remain in Australia.