Detention of mentally ill woman as illegal immigrant

If the treatment of illegal immigrants, making them wait years until they know their future wasn't bad enough, officials now find they have detained a mentally ill Australian women as an illegal immigrant.

See news item.

"The immigration department said Cornelia Rau was placed in detention last April after police were contacted by a group of Aborigines who found her wandering near a remote township on the northeastern Cape York Peninsula. "

Wouldn't you check the missing persons register in each state before assuming they were from overseas. Couldn't they tell she was mentally ill?

"Queensland police and the immigration department defended their actions, saying Rau was not carrying any identification when she was found and at no time had claimed to be an Australian citizen. "

Of course not, she was mentally ill, surely this could have/was diagnosed.

I start to wonder whether Australia's policy of mandetory detention of illegal immigrants, and taking years to process them has contributed to this one huge stuff up.