One of Scott Morrison’s final acts as Prime Minister was to instruct the Australian Border Force (ABF) to publish the interception of a suspected asylum seeker ship on election day.
Key points:
- The highly controversial measure during the election surveillance period followed a direct request from the Prime Minister’s Office
- That decision is now under investigation by Home Secretary Mike Pezzullo
- Although the ABC approached former Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the matter, he declined to comment.
As voters went to the polls on Saturday, the commander of the Sovereign Border Operation issued a rare statement announcing that “a ship has been intercepted in a likely attempt to enter Australia illegally from Sri Lanka.”
The ABC may reveal that the highly controversial measure during the election aftermath period followed a direct request from the Prime Minister’s Office to publicly disclose details of the sensitive ABF operation before it was completed.
During his last press conference, held in the early afternoon of election day, the then Prime Minister was asked about the reports that emerged that morning about the arrival of a ship.
“Well, I can confirm that there was an interception of a ship en route to Australia. This ship has been intercepted in accordance with government policies and they are following these normal protocols,” Morrison told reporters. . Sydney.
At about the same time as the Prime Minister was speaking, the statement by Rear Admiral Justin Jones, the commander of Operation Sovereign Borders, appeared on the ABF website, warning that the Australian government’s policy on illegal arrivals of ships “remain unchanged.”
Since then, the Australian border force has returned asylum seekers to Sri Lanka. (ABC: Avani Dias)
“We will intercept any ship that wishes to reach Australia illegally and return safely those on board to their point of departure or country of origin,” Rear Admiral Justin Jones said in the five-line statement only Requested by the Morrison office.
The unusual revelation of the “water issue” operation is now under investigation by Home Secretary Mike Pezzullo, ordered this week by the new Labor government.
Officials who are aware of the events on Saturday say the Department of the Interior first examined the legality of issuing a statement during an election campaign to worry that it might violate government conventions and politicize the public service.
It was finally decided that the commander could issue a statement, a move that has been privately criticized by Rear Admiral Jones’ colleagues in the Australian Border Force, as well as the Australian Defense Force.
Shortly after public confirmation of the ship’s arrival, the Liberal Party sent massive robotic text messages to voters in marginal seats, urging them to support the government and its harsh border policies.
The ABC has approached former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, specifically to ask why his office asked the Australian Border Force to reveal the interception of the ship, but declined to comment.
The Home Office has also said it would be “inappropriate to comment on the matter” because the new Labor government has now ordered a review of the circumstances of the ABF statement.
On Tuesday, Rear Admiral Justin Jones confirmed that the ship loaded with asylum seekers intercepted near Christmas Island on election day had been returned to Sri Lanka after proper assessments.