Karen Andrews said today that former Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked her to issue the statement and has strongly condemned any suggestion that there was pressure on the department.
“There was no pressure on the department,” he said.
Shadow Home Secretary Karen Andrews has defended the former government’s actions on election day. (9 News)
“I really want to raise the issue of the pressure being applied, simply because it was a legitimate request for this statement to come out.
“The Prime Minister asked me to issue the statement and that’s exactly what I did.”
Andrews said it was not “everyday” circumstances that made it appropriate to issue the statement.
“I don’t recall there ever being a boat that was intercepted on Election Day,” Andrews said.
“So I think it was appropriate to make sure there was a very clear statement from the head of Operation Sovereign Borders and that’s exactly what happened.”
The interception of an unauthorized Sri Lankan boat triggered a text erasing the Liberal Party’s hard-line immigration policies. (new)
The report found that Morrison pressured the Operation Sovereign Borders taskforce to announce the interception of SIEV (Suspect Illegal Entry Vessel) 915 on May 21, election day.
The prime minister’s office asked the task force to issue a statement at 11.58am that day moments after Morrison was asked about the operation at a press conference.
“I’ve been here to stop this ship,” Morrison said at the news conference.
A text message was then sent to constituents which read: “BREAKING – Aust Border Force has intercepted an illegal vessel attempting to reach Aus.”
“Keep our borders secure by voting Liberal today.”
Scott Morrison was asked about the interception of the ship minutes after the statement was issued. (AP)
Andrews has doubled down that he had no idea about the text message sent to voters.
“I had absolutely no knowledge,” he said.
The report noted that Morrison’s actions were lawful, but created difficulties during the operation.
“The detailed chronology of events indicates that officials were pressured to release a statement about the interception of SIEV 915 prior to the conclusion of the operational activity,” the report said.
Home Secretary Clare O’Neil criticized the former government’s actions after the report was published, calling it “disgraceful”.
“His actions undermined the integrity of this complex operation, making it more difficult and dangerous,” he said.
Retrospective photos of federal politicians