OFFICIAL
Key Brief Number: ABF-09
PDR Number: SB23-000210
KEY BRIEF
Budget Estimates Hearing – May 2023
Topic:
Removals
Group:
National Operations
Division:
Detention and National removals
Removal Statistics
1 July 2022 –
2020 -
2021 –
1 July 2021 –
Financial year
Variance
31 March
Variance
2021
2022
31 March 2022
2023
Total Removals
1039
1253
20.6%
814
1582
94.35%↑
S501 Removals
452
508
12.4%
333
342
2.7%↑
* Removed to their country of origin or a third country.
NZ Citizen Removals
FY 2022-23 (as at 31
NZ Citizens
FY 2019-20
FY 2020-21
FY 2021-22
March 2023)
Airport Turnaround
156
28
49
150↑
S501 Visa
218
312
225
171↓
Cancellation
Detained from Prison
318
299
298
199↓
*
Prison to Plane
104
15
25
44↑
Removal
Removed
369
398
289
278↓
In Held Detention**
436
406
383
300↓
* includes prison to plane removals
** Breakdown of inflows of New Zealand citizens into held detention facilities by financial year
OFFICIAL
Page
1 of
3
OFFICIAL
Key Brief Number: ABF-09
PDR Number: SB23-000210
Number of individuals removed by citizenship (at time of removal)
Citizenship at
FY 2020/21
FY2021/22
01 July – 31 March 2023
Departure
New Zealand
398
289
278
Vietnam
121
114
137
United Kingdom
42
98
82
India
26
84
147
Malaysia
73
67
58
Other
379
601
880
TOTAL
1039
1253
1582
*Removed to their country of origin or a third country.
Note: Citizenship at Departure is based on the top 5 citizenships in 2021-22.
Nature of removal for all individuals removed from immigration detention
Removals
FY 2020/21
FY2021/22
01 July – 31 March 2023
Voluntary
1007 (97%)
1182 (94%)
1524 (96%)
Involuntary
32 (3%)
71 (6%)
58 (4%)
TOTAL
1039
1253
1582
*number of removals (nature of removal) removed to their country of origin or a third country
Prison to Plane Removals
Estimated total Prison to Plane removals
(as a percentage of total removals from Australia)
Financial
year
FY2020/21
FY 2021/22
01 July to 31 March 2023
Total
105 (11% of all
125 (12% of all
159 (22% of all removals)
removals
removals)
removals)
*Figures include removals directly from prison to plane and removals within 72 hours of release from prison.
OFFICIAL
Page
2 of
3
OFFICIAL
Key Brief Number: ABF-09
PDR Number: SB23-000210
Removal Operations on Chartered Aircraft
• The ABF has utilised chartered aircraft where removals are highly complex and
commercial flights are not viable.
• For the period 1 July 2022 – 31 March 2023, the ABF conducted removal
operations via chartered aircraft to Vietnam, Cyprus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, New
Zealand, Nigeria, Samoa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Finland and Indonesia. A total
of 105 individuals were removed from immigration detention as a result of these
operations.
Consultation
• The Chief Statistician has cleared the statistics contained within this brief.
Additional References
• SB23-000241 - Removal Operations (Back Pocket Brief)
Sandra Jeffery,
Cleared through: Assistant Commissioner Detention and National Removals
Division
12 April 2023
Final clearance: Tim Fitzgerald
Position: Deputy Commissioner National Operations
Date: 21 April 2023
OFFICIAL
Page
3 of
3
