A lengthy WhatsApp exchange running from December 18 to February 11 between the two men, the contents of which have been confirmed by Mr Costas, details the organisation of a local tour and the fallout from the government’s initial advice it was considering refusing Mr Yiannopoulos’ visa in late January. “I just sent [the advice] to [Andrew] Bolt asking him to speak to the Minister, not to put it on f---ing TV,” Mr Costas wrote at 5.15pm on January 30. “Calling Alan [Jones] tomorrow. I’ll plead. I know he will raise hell if I appeal directly to him,” Mr Yiannopoulos replied on February 2. “I have a call booked with Pauline Hanson,” Mr Yiannopoulos wrote on February 4. “And Alan Jones is going to war behind the scenes.”

Loading The Morrison government told Mr Yiannopoulos on March 6 that his application had been rejected, but it was personally approved by Immigration Minister David Coleman only days later. Mr Yiannopoulos had his visa again rejected on Sunday after he made a series of Islamophobic comments in the wake of the New Zealand mosque massacre in Christchurch. The exchange comes as Mr Yiannopoulos repeatedly pressed Mr Costas to transfer him thousands of dollars he claims he was owed from a previous tour, writing he will be “evicted from my home because you didn’t pay when you promised,” according to the documents.

Mr Yiannopoulos' previous tour left Victoria Police with a $50,000 crowd control bill after clashes outside his event. Mr Costas was earlier this week made bankrupt after separate legal action from his former printer TMA Australia, while Mr Markson is pursuing him for $63,000. Mr Costas on Thursday confirmed he had spoken to Mr Jones and Mr Bolt about the tour. “The first tour … because Dutton was minister it took about three or four weeks and no one had to talk to anyone, and [the visa] was just approved … ” he said. But organising the most recent tour was more difficult.

“A lot of lobbying went on, and it became public. I’ve never done this before, I have had to have a crash course in immigration to try and understand how all this nonsense works.” Several days after hearing Mr Yiannopoulos may have had his visa refused, Mr Costas wrote on WhatsApp: "George Christensen MP (Liberal Party Right Faction) … has always assisted in the past and helped overturn Lauren Southern’s visa refusal last year.” “He’s seeming very doubtful about this. I think we need to step up the pressure.” Four days later, on February 9, Mr Costas wrote: “It’s been a week since (Senator Hanson’s chief of staff James) Ashby advised of Pauline’s discussion with Dutton … when he fixed Lauren Southern’s visa issue last year, he did it within 24 hours.” “But to be fair, he was also the minister back then … that’s a lefty called Coleman now. We’re all working as hard as we can, Alan Jones has also been in his ear,” he wrote.

Ms Southern is another far-right social commentator, and was initially denied a visa last year to tour Australia, with the ban overturned several days later. “Dutton hasn’t come good, and I’m afraid that Coleman is too chickenshit to put his money where his mouth is on this - he’s saying it’s too risky with the election coming up,” Mr Costas wrote on February 11. Damien Costas lobbied to get Milo Yiannopoulos' visa ban overturned. Mr Jones said he wrote to the government about the visa denial “because I am concerned about issues of freedom of speech”. “On many things in relation to me people are prone to speak in rather colourful and exaggerated language ... I think the notion of ‘going to war’ is more than exaggerated and a little colourful,” he said.

Mr Bolt said Mr Costas had not asked him to lobby Mr Dutton or Mr Coleman, but said he thought banning Mr Yiannopoulos was the wrong decision. "I've had several emails from Damien [Costas] but … I'm certain he would never have asked me to contact Mr Coleman,” he said. Mr Bolt appeared with Mr Yiannpolous during his last local tour, but yesterday said he had told him that he "didn't like his language and his abuse". Mr Coleman and Senator Hanson declined to comment. "Visa matters are dealt with by Minister Coleman, " a spokesman for Mr Dutton said.