The Greens' bid to establish a parliamentary inquiry into Melbourne-based refugee Hakeem al-Araibi's detention in Thailand has failed in the Senate.
Labor and the coalition teamed up to block a motion, which would have looked at the role of federal departments and the Australian Federal Police in the soccer player getting locked up for two months in Bangkok.
"We can't look past the fact he was detained in Thailand and spent months locked up fearing for his very life and this was clearly because of decisions and mistakes made by Australian government agencies," Greens senator Nick McKim told parliament on Wednesday.
"Australian authorities failed him and that failure could have cost him his life."
Liberal frontbencher Anne Ruston said there was no need for a parliamentary inquiry, while Labor is expected to pursue the issue at Senate estimates next week.
"This issue is the subject of a review by the department of home affairs and the relevant agencies," Senator Ruston said.
Al-Araibi and his wife were honeymooning in Bangkok when al-Araibi was arrested last November at the request of his birth country Bahrain, seeking his extradition.
He was wanted after fleeing the country when charged with vandalising a police station in 2012 and sentenced to 10 years in jail in absentia, a crime he denies.
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