28 Apr 2025 – News article published by Cairns Post
A Papua New Guinean national who required medical treatment in Cairns was under guard at a hotel and escaped from Australian Border Force custody in Far North Queensland. This resulted in a manhunt by Queensland Police Service within the community that did not locate or recover the Foreign National.
Papua New Guinean nationals are permitted to enter the Protected Zone located between the Torres Straits and Papua New Guinea, as permitted under the Australian Treaty Series 1985 No 4 – Treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea. However, the Treaty does not permit unrestricted travel outside of this area.
Multiple Queensland and Commonwealth Government agencies are involved in managing a person transferred between locations for health and medical reasons. This specific incident, and the wider topic is multi-faceted in nature involving multiple Hospital and Health Services, Queensland Police Service, and Australian Border Force with immediate safety implications for the wider community. The immediate risk to local community covers healthcare facility security, community safety, and the potential of exposure from environmental/bio security concerns.