The Department of Immigration and Border Protection refused to confirm or deny the reports about Mr Quaedvlieg on Tuesday. Australian Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg is "on leave" pending an investigation. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is on leave, but a spokeswoman for Justice Minister Michael Keenan's office said: "The ABF Commissioner is on leave. A matter is under consideration by appropriate authorities." She said the government would make no further comment "until that process is complete". Mr Quaedvlieg – the man charged with implementing and enforcing the Coalition's tough border protection policies – has not tweeted from his "ABF Commissioner" Twitter account since May 25.

Former Immigration Department spokesman Sandi Logan tweeted on Monday that Mr Quaedvlieg had been "suspended" and was "under external investigation". Australian Border Force commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg, centre, with Peter Dutton and then prime minister Tony Abbott. Credit:Andrew Meares Mr Quaedvlieg was appointed to the role when the Australian Border Force started operations almost exactly two years ago. Mr Quaedvlieg had been considered a frontrunner to become the next NSW police commissioner earlier this year after Andrew Scipione announced his retirement. "On leave": Roman Quaedvlieg.

However the job eventually went to Mick Fuller. Mr Quaedvlieg is two years into his five-year term in the $731,000 a year job, which sits alongside the AFP commissioner and the head of ASIO in the public service hierarchy. The ABF was created in July 2015 after a merger between Immigration and Customs. The move was part of the Abbott government's Operation Sovereign Borders, to stop asylum seeker boats. ABF officers have substantially greater powers than Customs and Immigration officers had previously. They carry weapons, gather intelligence and have the power to detain offenders. The organisation shot to public prominence later in 2015 when it spoiled a police operation in Melbourne.