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Thursday, October 06, 2005
Official report: Immigration covered up Australian's deportation to RP (2:07 p.m.)
CANBERRA -- Three middle-ranking officials in the Immigration Department covered up the wrongful deportation of an Australian citizen to the Philippines, according to a scathing report presented to Parliament on Thursday.
Philippine-born Vivian Alvarez, who has held dual citizenship since 1986, was seriously injured in a fall then mistakenly identified as an illegal immigrant, possibly a sex slave, and deported in July 2001, the report by former police officer Neil Comrie said.
The 42-year-old was tracked down in a hospice outside Manila in May after news of her illegal deportation became public. She remains in Manila while her lawyers negotiate with the government over compensation and the conditions for her return.
In his report presented in Parliament Thursday, Comrie said the Immigration Department's handling of Alvarez's case "can only be described as catastrophic."
He said three middle-ranking officials had been alerted by junior staff in 2003 that an Australian citizen had been deported but had failed to take any action.
Comrie said the conduct of all three could have breached public service regulations.
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said two of the officials were being investigated for breaching their duties as public servants but declined to say what punishment they might face.
A third has since resigned and faces no disciplinary action, she said, adding that none were facing criminal charges.
Comrie's report was part of a series of investigations into the department following the discovery in February that a mentally ill German-born woman who was raised in Australia had been held in immigration detention for 10 months on the mistaken belief that she was an illegal immigrant.
The government announced in July that the beleaguered department's most senior officials would be replaced after a government inquiry found "serious deficiencies" in the administration of its detention policy. Vanstone has refused opposition lawmakers' demands that she resign over her department's mismanagement.
Human rights groups claim that Australia's mandatory detention of people without visas or Australian citizenship breaks up asylum-seeking families and causes mental and physical harm to children.
After the release of the report Thursday, Vanstone said the government will spend 230 million Australian dollars (US$174 million; euro145 million) over five years to improve staff training, care standards and record keeping in the department.
Comrie said the wrongful deportation of Alvarez was only officially recognized because of persistent inquiries by Alvarez's former husband, Australian Robert Young.
"Had Mr. Young not persisted, the wrong done to Vivian and (the department's) failures in the management of her case... might well have remained unknown to the Australian community," Comrie said. (AP) |
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