Monday May 2, 10:19 PM AAP
At least 33 Australians have been wrongfully detained by immigration in the past two years, the government revealed, as it continued its hunt for a deported Australian woman who is missing overseas.
Acting Immigration Minister Peter McGauran confirmed there had been 33 cases between July 2003 and February last year in which Australians had been detained, usually only briefly, by immigration officers, including the case of a woman who was deported to the country of her birth four years ago and was missing.
He said the revelation of the cases of wrongful detention had prompted the government to expand the terms of reference of its inquiry - headed by former Australian Federal Police chief Mick Palmer - into the case of Cornelia Rau, a mentally ill German-born, Australian resident who spent 10 months detention as an illegal immigrant.
"Some 33 cases (exist) whereby somebody (was) being detained but (was) subsequently released having been determined to be lawful," Mr McGauran told ABC radio.
"Once that material was obtained it was forwarded to Mick Palmer over the weekend."
He said those 33 Australians involved could "potentially" have been locked up in immigration detention or deported but it was more likely they had been held for only a short time.
"Potentially, but remember the definition is very narrow, whereby somebody was detained under the Migration Act by officers and then released having been found not to unlawful," Mr McGauran said.
"Now, that might just be for five minutes while somebody's visa is upgraded or checked.
"It doesn't mean that all of those persons ever spent a night in a detention centre.
"In fact, my estimate would be a minority of them only ever went to a detention centre."
Mr McGauran said Australian authorities were making extensive efforts to locate the missing Australian resident who was deported four years ago and has not been found since.
The Immigration Department only became aware of her wrongful deportation after it was approached by a family member.
"It's a distressing case. We know what happened but we don't know why it happened," Mr McGauran said.
"We've delegated to Mr Palmer believing he will bring an independent and forensic investigation to all of the circumstances.
"We're making very extensive efforts to locate the individual.
"If it requires a public information campaign, if our inquiries are unsuccessful, then we'd most certainly undertake that as well."
Refugee advocates have called for a royal commission to investigate Australia's immigration detention system in the wake of the wrongful detentions and deportation.
But Mr McGauran rejected the need for a public inquiry.
"The critics of the government would want a circus but there are privacy issues and nobody doubts Mr Palmer's competence, nor his resolve, to get to the bottom of these issues," he said.
Asked if the government would consider a royal commission if Mr Palmer uncovers serious problems in the immigration system, Mr McGauran replied: "Let's cross those bridges when we come to them".
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