Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Minister, I note your recent statements in relation to your personal intervention to prevent the deportation of two foreign intended au pairs. Can you categorically rule out any personal connection or any other relationship between you and the intended employer of either of the au pairs?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer is yes. I haven't received any personal benefit. I don't know these people. They haven't worked for me. They haven't worked for my wife. I repeated all of that yesterday, and I repeat it again today. I point the honourable member to the facts in relation to ministerial intervention. The member for McMahon—we were just talking about his successful record when he was last in government. Remember, he was the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. At one point in 2012, there were 218 cases referred for consideration. In 2013, the honourable member for McMahon was there, along with the member for Watson. There were 228 cases in the year 2013; in 2014, 193 cases.

What really stands out here is that, whilst the Greens have been out there criticising the use of ministerial intervention powers—and, as I say, these go back many, many years; the minister of the day exercises powers under the Migration Act—as it turns out, the two people who have criticised me most in the last 24 hours, Senator McKim and the honourable member for Melbourne, who just asked the question, happen to be the two members from the Greens highest in referring cases for my consideration. I don't know whether hypocrisy escapes the honourable member for Melbourne, but I can tell you the Australian public have worked out long ago that the Greens are the biggest hypocrites in Australian politics. They stand in this place saying one thing; they say something completely opposite when they go out. The reality is, if the honourable member has some allegation to put, go outside into the public domain, put the allegation and I'll deal with it in the usual way.