Briefing note for:
Attorney General, the Hon. Michelle Rowland MP
Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Tony Burke MP
Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Krissy Barrett APM
Purpose: To call on the Australian Government to strengthen its response to missing migrants and non-citizens in Australia through a national framework. A national framework is essential for upholding Australia’s international reputation and establishing it as a global leader in the investigation and humane treatment of missing migrants and non-citizens, including through rigorous data collection and provision of family support.
Background: Over 50,000 missing persons reports are made to Australian authorities annually. A proportion of these missing people were born overseas and have either: (1) fled persecution and are seeking asylum; (2) are on temporary visas; (3) have migrated to Australia permanently; or (4) are visiting as tourists.
A manual review of the Australian Missing Persons Register website, established through the voluntary efforts of Nicole Morris, reveals cases of missing migrants and non-citizens. However, neither it nor the information offered on the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre website (managed by the Australian Federal Police) indicate exactly how many are migrants or non-citizens remain missing.
Cases such as that of Peter Falconio (UK origin, missing since 2001); Prabhdeep Srawn (Canadian origin, missing since 2013); Hyeonju Jeon (Korean origin, missing since 2015); Theo Hayez (Belgian origin, missing since 2019); and Celine Cremer (Belgian origin, missing since 2024) are some high profile examples of missing migrants and non-citizens.
There are various reasons why someone might become a long-term missing person, (missing for more than three months). Geography is one factor – many parts of the Australian environment are remote, harsh and unforgiving. Our oceans are also well known for their dangers.
Criminal activity also sits behind several missing persons’ cases, as the notorious “backpacker murders” committed by Ivan Milat between 1989-1992 demonstrate.
Other risk factors such as mental health challenges, social isolation, domestic violence victimisation, and, in the case of some migrant populations, a lack of working and/or residency rights can all lead to individuals going missing.
There are significant policy gaps in the Australian response to missing migrants and non-citizens.
Some families of missing migrants and non-citizens have directly expressed concerns with how these cases have been handled. For instance, in the case of Prabhdeep “Prabh” Srawn, a Canadian national who went missing while bushwalking in Kosciuszko National Park in 2013, his family were highly critical of decisions made by authorities to scale back and call off the search despite their concerns that significant areas remained unsearched. In this case, the family tried to organise a private rescue team but claimed authorities withheld information which prevented them from doing so.
For some families of long-term missing persons, these outstanding issues have been addressed by charities such as the Missed Foundation which relies completely on donations and community fundraising.
As stated by Laurent Hayez, the father of Theo Hayez from Belgium who went missing in Byron Bay in 2019, “this organisation (the Missed Foundation) has come to supplement the support of the public, but also to fill part of the void left by the authorities in managing many practical aspects such as communication, contact with the media, and many aspects that a distressed family is confronted with when a loved one disappears”.
Key Considerations: There is no public record of how many migrants go missing in Australia each year. The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project collects international data on migrants who go missing in in the “process of migration” but not after arrival.
In Australia, some data has been collected by “The Australian Border Deaths Database” but only when the missing person is assumed dead and the death is “border-related”. This database has not been updated since 2023.
Furthermore, while the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) includes a search function in its database of all missing persons, it does not currently have the capability to search for migrants or non-citizens as a specific population group.
When migrants and non-citizens appear to go missing, it can be difficult to identify whether they are just uncontactable. The transient nature of their journeys, along with assumptions that they may be evading authorities due to visa-related matters, can result in searches being delayed.
Language barriers and an unfamiliarity with the Australian system, can also create delays in the reporting of missing migrants or non-citizens by family and friends based overseas.
Further challenges can emerge in contacting, and later supporting, the kinship networks of these missing migrants.
While missing persons cases remain “open”, Australian authorities are limited in what resources they can offer beyond the initial search phase .
This creates particular difficulties for missing migrants and non-citizens. Unlike the Australia-based families of missing persons who can harness their local community and geographic proximity to the missing person’s last known location.
In contrast, the families and friends of missing migrants and non-citizens are often based overseas, meaning they need to be well resourced to travel to Australia to pursue leads, liaise with authorities, and maintain public visibility for their loved one’s case with this being an often costly and exhausting process.
When considering how to best respond to these cases, we can draw some important lessons from history. For instance, the International Committee of the Red Cross which has undertaken family tracing work in Australia since 1915, with the program expanding considerably after World War II, demonstrates the potential for a non-governmental body to support the search for missing migrants and non-citizens.
While the current tracing program of the Red Cross focuses on those who have gone missing due to war, natural disasters or during migration, it nevertheless offers a model which could be used to assist with independent searches for missing migrants and non-citizens, recognising that Australian Federal Police resources are already stretched in relation to missing person investigations.
A system of support could also be informed by the “Find and Connect Service” established by the Australian government in 2009 in response to the case of former child migrants who were sent to Australian from Britain and Malta between 1912 and the late 1960s. This service also offers family tracing along with trauma-informed counselling and access to personal records.
While both these support services have been applied in specific contexts that differ to the more general cases of missing migrants and non-citizens, they still demonstrate the benefits of increasing the supports on offer in missing migrant and non-citizen cases.
Policy Options
- That Australia develops a national response to cases of missing migrants and non-citizens which aligns with the work of the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) which is informed by in-depth consultation with recovered migrants, the family and friends of missing migrants and missing persons and migration specialists;
- That a central intergovernmental database accessible to Home Affairs, the Attorney General’s Department and Australia Federal Police is established, which records the numbers of missing migrants in Australia. This should also include a monitoring system which allows for patterns to be traced over time, including by the missing migrants’ visa status, demographic details, education and employment information, last known geographic location and country of origin to identify systemic risk factors;
- That data on missing migrants is also made publicly available through an improved search mechanism within the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre database;
- That reporting mechanisms are improved for family and friends of missing migrants, including in diverse languages, to be able to report to Australian authorities more quickly and effectively when a loved one goes missing and that the use of a special unit or liaison officer is considered;
- That an independent tracing service is established which provides additional support in searches for missing migrants which complements the work already being undertaken by the Australian Federal Police; and
- That qualified organisations, like the Missed Foundation, are properly funded by Government to provide specialised, trauma-informed support for the families and friends of missing migrants and non-citizens in Australia.
Primary Policy Recommendation: It is recommended that Australia develops a national response to cases of missing migrants and non-citizens which is informed by a consultation with those who have lived experience of missingness. This would prioritise the collection of data on the prevalence and risk factors associated with missing migrant and non-citizens’ cases in order to inform future policy directions.
By improving our response to missing migrants and non-citizens, Australia not only protects its international reputation through demonstrating a willingness to respond to concerns previously raised by the families of missing migrants and non-citizens, but it also positions itself as a global leader committed to implementing systematic and innovative responses to the investigation and long-term support needs associated with these cases.
Sources Consulted
Australian Government (Department of Social Services). (2025). Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants – Find and Connect Support Services. Retrieved from https://www.dss.gov.au/forgotten-australians-and-former-child-migrants/find-and-connect-support-services
ANZSOC Thematic Group on Crimmigration and Border Control. (2023). Australian Border Deaths Database. Retrieved from https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/border-criminologies/australian-border-deaths-database
Australian Missing Persons Register. (2025). Australian Missing Persons Register. Retrieved from https://australianmissingpersonsregister.com/
Balint, R and J Persian. (2015, Jan 28). “Tracing family with the Australian Red Cross – then and now”, University of New South Wales. Retrieved from: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2015/01/tracing-family-with-the-australian-red-cross–then-and-now
CBC News. (2013, June 1). “Search for Canadian man missing in Australia called off, his family says”. CBC News. Retrieved from
International Organization of Migration (IOM). (2025). Missing Migrant’s Project. https://missingmigrants.iom.int/project
Jeffrey, E. (2025, June 4). “Not forgotten: six years without Théo”. The Echo. Retrieved from https://www.echo.net.au/2025/06/not-forgotten-six-years-without-theo/
Missed Foundation. (2025). The Missed Foundation. Supporting families of missing persons. Retrieved from https://missed.org.au/
National Missing Persons Coordination Centre. (2025). About National Missing Persons Coordination Centre. Retrieved from https://www.missingpersons.gov.au/
Nunn, G. (2019, 27 Oct). “Ivan Milat: Australia’s ‘backpacker killer’ and unanswered questions”. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-48346543
