Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. It's reported that the minister played a role in getting a job at Border Force for his former police colleague and friend, and the same former colleague was appointed as a liaison officer in the minister's office. Is the minister aware that the intended employer of the Italian au pair told a journalist to contact the same liaison officer when asked about the au pair and referred to the liaison officer by name? Was the minister aware that this person from his office also knew—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member's time has concluded. The minister will address the questions that were asked within the 30 seconds.

Mr Sukkar interjecting—

Mr Buchholz interjecting—

The member for Deakin and the member for Wright will cease interjecting.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

The Leader of the House will cease interjecting. The minister has the call.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, again, just dig a little bit deeper here because these attacks of a personal nature are only based on the lies and the information of an individual, which I will go to in a second. The officer that you spoke of is a decorated and distinguished officer with over 20 years of service with the Queensland Police Service. He applied for a job with Australian Border Force. There was no interference with that process. He went through the organisational requirements, and he was employed by Australian Border Force, and he has done so completely on merit.

Now, if you've got a suggestion to the contrary, I'd be happy to hear it, but I'd be happy if you made the statements outside of this place, because this smear is coming from the former Australian Border Force commissioner, a man who was, as commissioner, sacked from his position. He is a man who had groomed a girl 30 years younger than himself. He is discredited and disgraced, Mr Speaker. The reality is that he was—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left!

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is important, Mr Speaker.

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left will cease interjecting!

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Understand the motivation of those opposite. As it turns out, his executive officer now is a senior adviser—who to? The Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Speaker! So all of this muck that's been thrown—I note that Mr Quaedvlieg doesn't turn up in person to the Senate inquiry, I suspect because he doesn't want to be cross-examined. So what he does is put out these fictitious bits of information and salacious details that he can't back up. He's been proved already to be discredited. He is somebody that the Labor Party shouldn't rely on. I think what's happened here is that a lot has been promised to the Labor Party, but it's clear to me that Roman Quaedvlieg is your Godwin Grech.