Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister deliberately misquoted the Director-General of Security to suit his version of why the government hasn't properly screened people coming out of the terrorist controlled Gaza strip. The Prime Minister was also tricky in saying that the screening processes his government uses are the same as the coalition used, when that turns out to be completely untrue. Isn't this why Australians are disappointed in the Prime Minister and now saying that he is incompetent and dishonest?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have the utmost respect for Mr Burgess. That's why I reappointed him—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don't misquote him.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the Opposition asked his question and was given the courtesy, as he knows, to be heard in silence. Seconds in, we're going to ask for the same courtesy to be given to the Prime Minister.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

for five years, following his appointment by the previous government. So we have the same security agencies in place with, indeed, the same personnel. I will continue to take his advice, and I will continue to trust our security agencies to do their job. I table the interview by Mr Burgess on Insiders.

Earlier today, we had a motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition that asked for the information to be given in this chamber about which visa applicants are the subject of a security assessment by ASIO and what the criteria for ASIO is to carry out security assessments. That is a pretty extraordinary thing for the Leader of the Opposition to do, as if we could have this conversation and a kind of silence would descend upon this chamber. This was full Get Smart from the Leader of the Opposition.

But, of course, he has form, because it was reported by the Guardian in February 2022:

… the Liberal senator James Paterson, has rebuked the defence minister, Peter Dutton … for referencing classified information during last week's hyper-partisan brawling over national security.

Indeed, further back it was reported by the ABC in January 2020:

The office of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was suspected of leaking information it was told was classified about the cost of medically evacuating refugees to Taiwan …

It went on to say—so there's a gap here, okay, just to be clear. It went on to say:

The disclosure of the information concerned the secretary of the Home Affairs Department … so greatly that he requested the matter be referred to the Australian Federal Police for investigation.

And, of course, we know that on election day 2022, in an extraordinary act, the Leader of the Opposition at 1.26 pm was busy tweeting out information that was national security in an attempt to politicise, once again, information that the then government had.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Moreton is warned. The Prime Minister has concluded his answer; the member for Wannon will resume his seat. There was far too much noise in that first answer.