Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McKim, for your question. I don't think I can do any better than to quote the Treasurer, the former Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, himself who said:

… what the report in the ABC failed to point out, about that memo, was that memo to me said that the Secretary of Immigration had already written to the Director General of ASIO. It wasn't seeking my approval. They were simply implementing government policy which was what we took to the election. We said, permanent visas would not be given to people who came to Australia illegally by boat, the Department was acting in accordance with Government policy that had just been confirmed thumpingly in a federal election so - headline – public official implement government policy approved by the Australian people.