Senator McKIERNAN --On page 44, the movement alert list, it is pleasing to see that improvements are still continuing on it, but we still have problems with people who should not be coming into Australia who are arriving in Australia. There was some recent publicity about some Koreans getting into the country. Can somebody tell the committee something about that?

Mr Killesteyn --About the particular incident?

Senator McKIERNAN --That and the upgrade on the MAL, the movement alert list.

Mr Killesteyn --I think it would be unwise to suggest that the MAL will never be in a state of some improvement. It is a focus that will continue for the department because it has now become such an important aspect of our visa and entry processes.

You might recall when we discussed this matter on a previous occasion that there were a number of improvements planned for the MAL. Those improvements included improvements to the way in which the name matching was conducted. They also included improvements to the way in which data was collected, facilitating the global collection of data. Perhaps, more importantly, in the context of the situation with the Koreans, they included ensuring that we had appropriate liaison arrangements with law enforcement agencies to provide us with the data that we need.

In the case of the Koreans, that was the primary issue. While these people did have criminal backgrounds, that information was not available to the department for use in the MAL system.

Senator McKIERNAN --Does Australia have agreements and arrangements with the Korean authorities for the interchange of that type of information?

Mr Killesteyn --No.

Senator McKIERNAN --Was that the reason why the Koreans were able to enter the country?

Mr Killesteyn --The reason was simply that those particular Koreans were not on the movement alert list. It is obviously facilitated if there are agreements between countries for the exchange of data. It would be hard to say that that was the specific reason for the entry of these criminals, however. We continue to work with the relevant law enforcement agencies. We continue to be given data about criminals. Indeed, we do have additional information about particular crime figures that have been now included on the MAL.

Senator McKIERNAN --You have been given information about criminals by countries such as Korea?

Mr Killesteyn --No, by our own law enforcement community.

Senator McKIERNAN --Do we have any Australian law enforcement people located in any of the ports of Korea--Seoul, for example?

Mr Killesteyn --I am unaware particularly of where some of the AFP officers are. They could provide that answer. But certainly they are located offshore. I am aware that they are located in areas such as Hong Kong, but I cannot recall whether there is an AFP officer or other law enforcement officer in Korea.

Senator McKIERNAN --This is not a fair question to be directing to you in any case, but Korea is very much a growth market for tourists coming to Australia. Has the immigration department on its own, or in consultation with the other departments which necessarily have got an interest in it, given any consideration to the location of an immigration officer in Seoul who would seek to improve Australia's intelligence gathering capacity for the identification of people with criminal backgrounds?

Mr Killesteyn --We have already addressed that matter through the placement of what we call principal migration officer compliance people. They are located in strategic areas around the world and they are particular areas that are of concern to us on the basis of experience with criminals or with people smuggling or trafficking and so forth. They are located, for instance, in Hong Kong. There is one in Beirut, one in Manila and one in Beijing. Those people have regional responsibilities. They are not just responsible for the country in which they are resident. They have regional responsibilities to move throughout their particular region and focus on areas of concern. The PMO compliance officer from Beijing has been directed to go to Korea and investigate the particular incidents that happened there and to provide a report on that.

The other thing I would want to point out is that, in addition to those compliance officers, we also have DIMA personnel seconded to Qantas. Those personnel act and operate in the airport to assist Qantas check-in staff with scrutiny of passengers that may appear for a range of reasons to be not intending a genuine visit, if I can put it that way. Those arrangements have indeed worked very well, and the number of cases in which we stop people from boarding the planes before arrival in Australia is quite high and still continues to increase.

Senator McKIERNAN --The last comment was that it continues to increase. Some of the success rate today is not inhibiting people from continuing to try?

Mr Killesteyn --I think people smuggling all over the world is a profession that is likely to be with us for some time. As you have already pointed out, the growth in international movements throughout the world is increasing substantially, and part and parcel of that is, I guess, some acknowledgment that we will always see some attempts by people to move out of one particular country into another country. That is why, in terms of the investment of our resources, we continue to focus on this area. I do not think it is something that we will ever solve, but it is certainly something that we will continue to look for ways of improving and invest resources in.

Senator McKIERNAN --It is not the investing of resources that we are really talking of here; it is estimates committees, just in case the chair has got his evil ear on me. The case of the four Koreans that has been mentioned was disturbing. Later in the month we also had press media reports of some 100 Tamils who had been smuggled into Australia by air. Can you confirm that there have been in recent times 100 Tamils smuggled into Australia?

Mr Killesteyn --There are nationalities that are emerging as of higher concern than others. I cannot recall the precise number of Sri Lankan nationals that have come to Australia and have subsequently claimed asylum, which I think is the major issue, but it is certainly in excess of 100.

Mr Sullivan --I think we should draw the distinction between Koreans and four or five Koreans in a yearly visa load out of Korea of 250,000, whom we are not aware of and who enter this country and whom, with the cooperation of police forces, we then find and remove. Your question indicated that `smuggled into' meant that they successfully made their way into Australia. The problem with Sri Lankans has largely been that they have made it to our border. They have been detected at the border and they have been refused admittance at the border. Then in many instances they have proceeded from that refused admission into protection visa processing. So it is not that they have successfully smuggled their way into Australia; it is the fact that certainly some inadmissible passengers have successfully got on board a plane which has landed in Australia.

Senator McKIERNAN --Thank you for that clarification. I was not seeking to muddy the waters. I would have left the Tamil situation until much later in the estimates scrutiny, but it just seemed appropriate that we might have been able to dispose of it quickly. Has there been any reduction in the number of DIMA personnel who are designated for border protection at overseas embassies or overseas ports?

Mr Sullivan --In terms of our interdiction resources at airports, no, but it is not a large resource.

Senator McKIERNAN --I appreciate that it is not. So it has been protected, despite the recent budgetary limitations?

Mr Sullivan --It has been protected.