The Senate has agreed to a motion by Democrats' Deputy Leader, Senator Andrew Bartlett calling for a Royal Commission into mismanagement by the Immigration Department as a matter of urgency.
"The story surrounding the deported Australian citizen, Vivian Solon, is tragic, but is also one of absolute farce," Senator Bartlett, Democrats Immigration spokesperson said.
"The Government and the Immigration Department have become so obsessed with enforcement and so-called 'border protection' that the whole system is showing signs of being seriously dysfunctional."
"Basic and vital concepts like due process, duty of care, transparent and fair decision making and a simple fair go are being swept aside by the obsession with compliance."
"The Government's migration laws and policies have become excessively secretive, inconsistent, harsh and complex."
Senator Bartlett said it is time to get a Royal Commission to have a full look at the whole mess and come up with ways to fix it.
"Our migration laws directly touch millions of people each year, and we cannot afford to have such an important area of Government administration operating so poorly and being so badly overseen, Senator Bartlett said.
"I am not criticising Mr Palmer's inquiry, which may still produce useful findings, but its scope is too narrow and its powers too limited.
"The problems clearly run much deeper and wider that the specific cases he is looking at and only a Royal Commission can do the full job."
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