Deltanine

Australian authorities have admitted they knew for two years that a mentally ill Australian woman injured after being struck by a car was mistakenly deported to the Philippines in 2001 but did nothing to find her and bring her home.

Even worse, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said yesterday that the woman's son, now nine, was placed in foster care four years ago after his mother, Vivian Alvarez, failed to pick him up from a Brisbane creche.

This comes after a mentally ill German-born Cornelia Rau was locked up in one of the country's notorious detention centres for 10 months before authorities realised she was actually a citizen.

Mr Howard has refused to apologise about the mistaken detention Ms Rau, saying he would instead await the outcome of the inquiry into her detention, headed by former federal police chief Mick Palmer.