year. Currently, there are more than 4700 irregular maritime arrivals in immigration detention. More than 3200 detainees have been in immigration detention for more than six months, making a case-by-case assessment of such long-term detainees and impossible task. The consequence of the large and rapid growth in irregular maritime arrivals is that, in relation to the work of the immigration ombudsman and in the absence of substantial additional resources to my office, I am unable to provide overall assurance to the public and the Parliament that fair and accountable administrative action is being taken by responsible Australian government agencies [my emphasis]. These opinions, which are a crucial part of the ombudsman's role, were missing from Larkins's report. The Parliament and the public are entitled to hear the opinions of the ombudsman on the work and problems facing the office during the year addressed by the annual report. Clearly, in this instance, they were deprived of this insight. John Wood is the director of Baljurda Comprehensive Consulting and a former deputy Commonwealth ombudsman. He founded the national freedom of information legislation campaign in 1976. Disclosure: he is a friend and colleague of Allan Asher. Related Coverage 6 Nov The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman responds in full to the questions of why it didn't publish Allan Asher's version of the 2010-11 annual report, and why it omitted the criticisms that Asher made of the government.