The Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP, today launched Australia’s first poster featuring age-enhanced images of long-term missing persons, aiming to bring renewed hope to Australian families.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) has produced the poster using forensic imaging techniques. It features age-enhanced images of six missing persons from five Australian states and territories and Mr O’Connor launched two billboards at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport today.

“This is the first time a poster featuring age-enhancement has been produced in Australia for this purpose,” Mr O’Connor said.

“The images aim to spark recognition by providing realistic images of what the missing people may look like today. Uncertainty about the whereabouts and safety of a loved one can be a traumatic experience that can last for weeks, months and, sadly in the case of these families, years.”

Each year in Australia 35,000 people are reported missing and ninety-five percent are located within a short period of time. There are approximately 1600 Australians who have been missing for more than a year.

The billboards feature six people, missing for a period of between six and thirty-three years. The age-enhanced images have been produced in close consultation with state and territory police and families, most of whom were present at today’s launch.

Following training from United States experts in April 2009, Australia is one of only a select number of countries to have trained in forensic imaging techniques specific to long-term missing persons.

The AFP’s regular missing persons poster, which features sixteen new faces every six months, will now be complemented by these biannual age-enhanced posters which focus on long-term missing persons.

“The current national missing persons posters generate a number of sighting reports and it is envisaged that these new age-progression images will help in the search for these long-term missing persons in the same way,” Mr O’Connor said.

People featured on the poster are: Amelia Hausia, ACT, missing since 1992; Karen Skinner, WA, missing since 1995; Ronya Livoni, NT, missing since 1980; Lydia Notz, QLD, missing since 1976; Ian Stanton, NSW, missing since 2003 and; Ursula Barwick, NSW, missing since 1987.

The public can view these images online at www.missingpersons.gov.au and contact 1800 000 634 with any information regarding the whereabouts of those profiled.