How we (the Australian Govt) wrongly locked away 60 people

UP to 60 Australian residents, many suffering severe mental problems, may have been mistakenly incarcerated in detention centres by overzealous Immigration Department officials.

Andrew Metcalfe, the new secretary of the Immigration Department, has confirmed that the plight of mentally ill residents was being investigated by the Ombudsman as part of an inquiry into 221 cases of suspected maladministration.

In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Age, Mr Metcalfe predicted that his department would have to deal with more bad publicity before the reforms he was introducing took hold.

"We are likely to see more critical reports of what has happened," he said yesterday in reference to the Palmer and Comrie investigations into the deportation and incarceration of Australian citizens Cornelia Rau and Vivian Alvarez.

Mr Metcalfe said the assumption-based culture prevalent in the compliance branch was to blame for the department's failure to identify and deal with people suffering from mental illness.

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