The attempt by Mike Pezzullo to reintroduce Defence Notices is a concerning act of trying to stifle press freedom, writes Dr Alison Broinowski.
Tag: Home Affairs
This is the Department Peter Dutton controlled I meant didn’t wasn’t it? He had is finger on the pulse of Home Affairs and Immigration didn’t he? Or wishing it was on the pulse of two opers a major decision saying Yes rather than Nope for spud. All forensic examinations by experts reported that these departments were dead and should have been buried. The cause MURDERED by the LNP due to lack of care and policy.
What a fabulous trove The Pezzullo Papers are. The hundreds of recently disclosed text messages sent by the Home Affairs Secretary Mr Michael Pezzullo to a person described as a “Liberal Party powerbroker” are morbidly fascinating. Poor Pezzullo – in a few days he attracted as much public commentary, most of it unflattering, as platoons of traditionally reticent departmental Secretaries would cop in their lifetimes and afterwards.
there is more than enough evidence that the regulation of official behaviour by values and principles, including “stewardship” for Secretaries, and a code of conduct, has been insufficient. Thus, the relevant provisions in the Public Service Act should be thoroughly re-thought with a view to making the rules less ambiguous, possibly more prescriptive and better able to support a non-American kind of public service. ( The Steve Bannon Principle a Partisan Public Service)
Mr Pezzullo’s present prominence is a reminder of the credit he’s been given for his hand in the creation of the Home Affairs portfolio. This may be his gravest mistake as the portfolio contradicts just about every sensible principle of organisation design that can be imagined. It’s as if it had been set up to be the tragic failure it has been. And it’s not as if it is too big – there are many bigger agencies. Nor is too powerful – there are many more powerful, such misplaced concerns likely being agitated by Pezzullo’s pushfulness and willingness to attract attention and create enemies. The real problem is that the portfolio is organisationally nonsensical. Therefore, the Government should take the chance to:
with Porter forced out of politics, and Pezzullo unlikely to ever return, there’s at least some sense of justice slowly working in relation to the appalling persecution of Collaery and Witness K.”
It now looks passing strange that Pezzullo gave evidence on the need for secrecy in the name of national security when he was so eager to share confidential material — freshly handed to the prime minister and his own minister — with an unelected party machine man and businessman.
Source: “The… – The Fiberal Party of Australia – Lies & Misdemeanours | Facebook
Personally, I always wondered why Peter Dutton our one-time Home Affairs/Immigration Minister always bowed to Pezullo when being asked questions about his Ministry. It seemed that Pezzulo was in fact the Minister.
The Home Affairs boss has stood aside while investigators look into whether he flouted the public service code of conduct or shared inside information improperly.
In the latest revelations, a series of text messages show that Pezzullo sought to convince political leaders to introduce a system of “D-Notices” to allow government agencies to pressure media organisations not to publish stories deemed damaging to national security.
Pezzullo pursued the issue after his anger was stoked by a report by then-News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst – who is now state politics editor for The Age – about his secret proposal to allow the nation’s external intelligence agency to spy on Australians.
In other messages, Pezzullo wrote that the government could “criminalise” journalists in certain circumstances for reporting on what they were told by government whistleblowers.
Source: Mike Pezzullo stands aside as Home Affairs secretary
Peter Dutton will be forced to address corruption allegations next week when parliament resumes because 2 whistleblowers, which includes an acting AFP Commissioner, have shined a light on corruption during Peter Dutton’s time as Home Affairs Minister and the suspect $billions paid to dodgy contractors.
There are not enough moggies that Murdoch can throw on the table to misdirect the stench of corruption and conspiracy coming from a decade of LNP rule. Dutton Morrison Robert all run for cover hoping advisors will find a solution or that the attention can simply be deflected. There’s Abbott lurking in the background waiting to be called back. Who else would dare want to lead this nest of snakes?
Yet another bribery scandal pointing to maladministration of the Home Affairs portfolio by then-Minister Peter Dutton has emerged. Dave Donovan and Michelle Pini take a closer look at the murky details.
Source: Overseas affairs with corruption: Peter Dutton’s latest hits
Voted Australia’s worst ever Immigration Minister Dutton demands The ALP fix it.
“The opposition has in the past said they want the students and tourists to get back quicker, so there’s an inconsistency there.”
Source: Dutton urges migration rethink to ease cost pressures
Pezzullo is tipped to follow Dutton to become defence department secretary, a move that would cement the trend of China hawks being appointed to top defence jobs, despite the Morrison government’s claims it is attempting to reset the relationship.
This is either the single most expensive single piece of paper in the history of this chamber, or a blatant rejection of the will of the Senate by a minister who is allergic to scrutiny
The government has defied a Senate demand to release the findings of its review of the Home Affairs portfolio by claiming it did not produce a “single consolidated report” despite spending $4.9 million on the effort.
The claim triggered an outcry in the Senate over the performance of the Department of Home Affairs and its minister, Peter Dutton, after the controversial creation of the vast portfolio two years ago.
Senator Keneally also claimed the department had wasted taxpayer money by spending over $450,000 on corporate hospitality, $100,000 on executive office upgrades, $132,000 on motivational speakers and $9 million on a contract with Toll Holdings for accommodation on Manus Island even though the project was abandoned.
Senator Keneally also cited an audit office finding in January this year that concluded the department’s Biometric Identification Services Project was “deficient in almost every respect” despite a cost of $34 million.
via ‘$5 million for a piece of paper’: Major review of Home Affairs did not produce an actual report
olddogthoughts 