The former home secretary has rejected claims his office pressured public officials to act politically on election day by publicly revealing an intercepted asylum seeker boat.
Key points:
- Ms Andrews said then Prime Minister Scott Morrison told her to publicize the operation
- He said he was unaware his party’s campaign planned to release text messages once his statement was released
- The Labor government has described the election day episode as “disgraceful” and “embarrassing”
Karen Andrews says former prime minister Scott Morrison told her to publicize the operation and that no electoral provisions had been breached.
But a report by Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo found uniformed members of the Australian Border Force and Australian Defense Force, as well as public servants, acted with integrity in refusing a request from ‘issue a statement to the media while the operation was in progress.
A departmental statement was eventually issued minutes after Morrison announced the intercept at his final press conference as prime minister, but the report concluded that officials refused requests to post it on social media or send it directly to journalists.
The report also reveals that public officials were pressured to upload the statement online, with a delay in publication prompting a ministerial staff member to write “a lot of people are furious”.
Ms Andrews has again insisted she was unaware the Liberal Party campaign planned to send political text messages to voters about the asylum seeker boat after the statement was released.
“Firstly, the report makes it very clear that there has been no breach of carer provisions,” Andrews told Channel Nine.
“I clearly asked for the statement to be released in a very situational awareness report, so it really stuck to the facts.
“It just needed to be brief. It just needed to be put out there to make it clear that there had been a ship that had been intercepted.”
The Prime Minister’s statement and response on election day surprised many political observers, given the government’s previous unwillingness to discuss “water-related matters”.
Karen Andrews (right) said then Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked her to issue a statement. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
Home Secretary Clare O’Neill said the election day episode was “disgraceful, shameful and characteristic of a national government that often pursued political interests above the national interest”.
The report indicates that public officials were pressured to go beyond the concierge provisions and that the government requested that the statement be emailed to selected journalists.
This was rejected by Mr. Pezzullo, who had already told staff to be aware that the intercept “could become a very late election issue” and to “be on the lookout for any chatter on social media or, worse, any leaks to the media.”
“The release once approved must be published on our news and media site, nothing less,” he said, according to the report.
Ms Andrews said no rules had been broken and it was important to ensure the opposition was informed.
“There was no pressure on the department,” he told Channel Nine.
“The Prime Minister asked me to issue the statement and that’s exactly what I did.”
The interception was first revealed by the prime minister when he answered a question from a reporter during a press conference in his own constituency.
“Reports have just come in that a ship has been intercepted attempting to enter Australia illegally from Sri Lanka. What is your response to this?” asked the reporter.
Morrison confirmed that was the case, although official confirmation from the department had not yet been made public.
“The information may have reached the reporter separately and prior to the announcement from the ABF newsroom,” the report said.