A lawyer who spoke to the media about the Peter Dutton au pair affair believes he has paid a heavy price after the Department of Veterans Affairs suddenly refused to renew his contract.

Greg Phillipson, who worked at the immigration department for 38 years, appeared briefly on the ABC's 7.30 program on Tuesday night and described the Home Affairs Minister's interventions as "unusual".

Former immigration department lawyer Greg Phillipson believes he has paid a price for speaking to the media. Credit:ABC

Mr Phillipson, 57, left the immigration department last year. In July he commenced a contract role as a legal adviser with Veterans' Affairs.

The contract was due to end in October - but internal emails shown to Fairfax Media revealed the department was in the process of extending his contract the day the segment aired.