May 16, 2005 - 11:34AM
Sydney Morning Herald

Prime Minister John Howard has left open the possibility of a royal commission into immigration detention in the wake of the Vivian Alvarez case.

Mr Howard urged the public to be patient for the outcome of a government inquiry, headed by former top federal policeman Mick Palmer, before any further decision was made.

"I don't want to say more than that, let's get Palmer's inquiry (finished)," he told the John Laws radio program.

"These are issues that have to be handled in a methodical fashion.

"When we get Palmer's inquiry we'll see whether we should do anything further.

"But you don't jump to a royal commission every time something gets on the front page of a newspaper."

"You'd get royal commissionitis.

"You've got to be a little calmer about these things."

Ms Alvarez, who is an Australian citizen, was discovered on Wednesday in a Catholic hospice run by nuns in the city of Olongapo, north of Manila, after being mistakenly deported to the Philippines in 2001.

Mr Howard said he was offended by claims, notably by Ms Alvarez's sister, Cecile Solon, that racial discrimination was involved in the case.

"What I do reject is this insinuation that, in some way - it's just crept in to a couple of reports - she's in some way been discriminated against because she came from the Philippines," he said.

"That really is offensive to me and offensive to the minister."