KEY POINTS:
A New Zealand-born woman dubbed a "human crimewave" - whose criminal record spans 30 pages - has lost her fight to stay in Australia and is on her way back to this country.
Patricia Carol Toia, 29, a New Zealand citizen with a criminal record dating back to 1993, has been in Australia for 28 years. But a recent ruling has cleared the way for her deportation to New Zealand, the Dominion Post reported.
Toia has been imprisoned more than 30 times for offences including robbery, assaults, drug trafficking and driving while disqualified.
She has been disqualified from driving in Australia till 2053 - when she will be 75.
Australian Immigration has been trying to wash its hands of her since a tribunal ruled she had failed a character test to stay in Australia in 2004.
She was only allowed to stay because she qualified for a visa for people who had become part of the Australian community.
Australian Immigration failed her again on the character test in September and her appeal to the Australian Appeals Tribunal failed.
The decision, handed down on Thursday, said: "The fact that the applicant ... has spent nearly all of her life in Australia is a relevant factor.
"But, she is a threat to the Australian community, and Australia deserves protection against her, given that the risk of recidivism is, as must be obvious, very substantial indeed."
When he was foreign affairs minister, Phil Goff strongly opposed Toia coming to New Zealand.
In 2005 Toia expressed her fear of deportation when she told the Sunday Star-Times: "If they send me back ... where am I going to go? I'm scared I'm going to be stranded. I've got nobody there."
She had become estranged from her parents - who were believed to be in New Zealand - at a young age and had no family support in New Zealand.
Mr Goff was unavailable for comment yesterday.
- NZPA
