Karen Andrews beckons Home Affairs whistleblowers amid Labor's AFP changes

Sarah Basford Canales
Updated August 2 2022 - 9:09am, first published August 1 2022 - 2:30pm
Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews and Labor MP Peter Khalil. Pictures: Karleen Minney, Sitthixay Ditthavong
Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews and Labor MP Peter Khalil. Pictures: Karleen Minney, Sitthixay Ditthavong

Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews has called on would-be whistleblowers within the Home Affairs Department to come forward over the Albanese government's "dismantling" of the portfolio.

The McPherson MP moved a motion on Monday morning regarding a major national security shake-up undoing the controversial creation of the super department.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in June the Australia Federal Police and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies would return to the Attorney-General's Department from the super department, which was created in 2017 and placed under then-minister Peter Dutton.

Ms Andrews said she was "deeply concerned" the federal police, AUSTRAC and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission would be siloed from ASIO, border force and the department's policy-makers.

The motion calls on the government to rule out any budget or operating cuts to the agencies.

"I do encourage any of the hard working individuals within the Home Affairs portfolio, as it was, to contact my office, if they find there are issues as a result of this move by the government," she said.

"I will respect your confidentiality."

But Labor MPs, Julian Hill and Peter Khalil, struck back at the former minister, who was recently in hot water over a border force election day stunt.

"I want to thank the Member for McPherson for moving this motion but, Deputy Speaker, not for her overt politicised content of the motion," Mr Khalil said.

"Certainly, Deputy Speaker, not for that, but really for the entertainment value, Deputy Speaker, for the gall, the brazenness, the chutzpah she demonstrated in waltzing into this chamber and bottling up such a politicised motion."

A report by Mr Pezzullo revealed the former Coalition government pressured the Home Affairs staff to release, and amplify, a public statement on election day regarding a vessel interception.

The top boss's report showed Ms Andrews' office directed bureaucrats to issue a statement about the incident within 15 minutes so it could be published before former prime minister Scott Morrison was due to speak.

Mr Khalil said the former minister and her colleagues were using the machinery of government changes for a quick political win.

"This has been their hallmark," he said.

"Using our foreign policy, our national security, our national interest, as a political football they can kick around as long as they can to protect their own jobs.

"They acted only in their interests, the interests of the Liberal Party, in a pathetic, craven, last-ditch effort to hold on to government."

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Ms Andrews denied her office applied pressure on public servants to push out the statement, as outlined in the secretary's report.

Instead, she insisted Mr Morrison requested she release the statement and her office followed through in a lawful manner.

"I asked, clearly, for the statement to be put out in a very situational awareness type of report," Ms Andrews said following the report's release.

"It just needed to be put out there so that it was clear that there had been a vessel that had been intercepted.

"I don't recall that there has ever been a boat that has been intercepted on election day so we weren't in circumstances that were every day of the week, thankfully."

Sarah Basford Canales

Sarah Basford Canales

Politics and public sector reporter

I'm a federal politics and public sector reporter with an interest in national security, integrity and regulation. Contact me with general tips and thoughts at sarah.basfordcanales@canberratimes.com.au or confidential tips to sbasfordcanales@protonmail.com.