Greens MP says minister told house he had no personal connection with the employers of Italian au pair who worked for police colleague

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Peter Dutton has been accused of misleading parliament over the au pair visa saga.

On 27 March, Greens MP Adam Bandt asked Dutton in question time to categorically rule out “any personal connection or any other relationship between you and the intended employer of either of the au pairs.”

Dutton responded: “The answer is yes.”

On Thursday, Guardian Australia revealed Dutton saved an Italian au pair from deportation, who was due to work for a former Queensland police colleague.

Dutton went on to say in his answer to parliament: “I haven’t received any personal benefit. I don’t know these people. They haven’t worked for me. They haven’t worked for my wife. I repeated all of that yesterday, and I repeat it again today.”

Dutton was a police officer from 1990 until 1999 before being elected to federal parliament in 2001. In 1997 Dutton and the family’s father completed a surveillance course together and were pictured in a group photograph.

Bandt believes Dutton has some explaining to do.

Peter Dutton hints that leaking of au pair cases is designed to hurt him Read more

“On the face of it, Peter Dutton may have misled Parliament when answering my question,” Bandt told the Guardian Australia.

“Given reports suggesting he has a personal connection with the employer of an au pair, he urgently needs to explain himself. If he can’t, he has no business being a minister.”

Labor immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann said if Dutton knows the intended employer of one of these au pairs, Peter Dutton has clearly misled Parliament.

“This entire situation stinks and it’s time Peter Dutton comes clean immediately. If he doesn’t, Scott Morrison needs to step in and clean up his minister’s mess,” he told Guardian Australia.

On morning radio on Friday, Dutton insisted he had not been in contact with the policeman for decades and the case was considered on its merits.

“I wouldn’t have spoken to that individual for 20 years. I didn’t speak to him in relation to this matter. He raised it with my office,” Dutton told 2GB radio on Friday morning.

“I apply the law equally.”

He characterised his intervention as “a commonsense approach”.

Asked if somebody was leaking the details to harm him, Dutton said: “It’s a good question. I suspect all will be revealed at some stage.”

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, defended Dutton’s use of ministerial intervention during a press conference in Jakarta on his first official overseas visit.

“I made hundreds if not thousands of decisions as minister for immigration, it would not be unusual to do that,” he told reporters.

Morrison said Dutton had “assured” him the cases were considered on merit.

“They are difficult decisions, they are personal decisions, human decisions,” he said.

He described the huge pile of folders immigration ministers must consider.

“Every single one of those is a life, and every decision you make on that affects those lives and all the lives of people around them,” he said

“You don’t make those decisions in a rush ... you make them carefully and in a considered way.”

Revealed: Peter Dutton intervened in Italian au pair visa case for former police colleague Read more

When asked this week if the Italian au pair was intending to work for his family, the policeman told Guardian Australia: “Not confirming, not denying. Just talk to Peter Dutton’s office. It’s well above my call as to what to say.

“If you want to talk to Matt Stock at Peter Dutton’s office, feel free.”



Guardian Australia understands Matt Stock is a former Brisbane detective sergeant, who now works for the Australian Border Force as an acting commander and has had a liaison role with Dutton’s office.