PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has been accused of hypocrisy for championing the adoption of children from South Korea at the same time his government is deporting the mother of an Australian girl to that country.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has refused to use his discretionary powers to grant residency to Eunsil (Chloe) Park, who has lived here for eight years and whose daughter Ari, 4, is Australian.

Ms Park, 31, from Macgregor in Brisbane’s south, must buy a one-way plane ticket by the end of today and be on a flight to South Korea by next Monday or face being thrown into detention and deported.

The move will also force Ari to live in an unfamiliar country and culture – far away from her grandfather Mark Illingworth in Brisbane.

Mr Illingworth said it was “the height of hypocrisy’’ that the Federal Government refused to listen to the family’s pleas for Ms Park and Ari to be allowed to stay while encouraging Australians to adopt children from South Korea.

Mr Abbott two weeks ago announced new measures to streamline the process of overseas adoptions and granting Australian citizenship to the children. Forty per cent of cases involve children from South Korea and Taiwan.

The move followed a campaign by Holly actor Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness who is an international adoption advocate.

“Obviously I’m not a big movie star. Perhaps that’s why we are being ignored,’’ Mr Illingworth said.

He said he totally backed the government’s support for families to bring South Korean youngsters to Australia.

“But then they are ready and willing to force a little girl already here to go and live in South Korea – or to separate her from her mother. It doesn’t make sense.’’

A report from department officials to former Labour immigration minister Chris Bowen warned that Ari could become a target.

“Mixed race children may face strong social disapproval and even face hostility in some quarter from other Koreans.

“Ari might confront such treatment if she were to return to Korea.’’

Ms Park’s lawyer Angus Francis from the Refugee And Immigration Legal Service said the case was very unusual.

The service had dealt with about a dozen cases in the three years involving children who were Australian citizens. “This is the first time I’ve seen that the minister has not intervened,’’ Mr Francis said.

Ms Park had a three-and-a-half- year relationship with Ari’s father, Brett Illingworth. Her fiancée visa was cancelled when they split up in 2010. He now works in Vietnam.

Full Story: Grandad slams PM Tony Abbott’s resolve to deport family

Source: news.com.au