The federal Coalition should 'hang their head in shame' after an inquiry found public servants were pressured to reveal an asylum seeker boat arrival on election day, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil says.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil says the public servants who refused efforts to politicise an asylum seeker boat arrival on election day are"patriots".The federal Coalition should "hang their head in shame" after an inquiry found public servants were pressured to reveal an asylum seeker boat arrival on election day, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil says.
"The former minister ... was asked this morning whether she asked her department to act outside their apolitical mandate. She denied it."In fact, the minister at the time directly asked public servants that reported to her to support the political interests of the government and in doing so undermined our democracy on the day of an election."
He also noted her office told officials that some were "furious" when it wasn't published in that time frame. "I was asked by the prime minister to issue the statement and that is exactly what I did," Ms Andrews said.Ms O'Neil said the public servants who stood up to Ms Andrews and her office had shown bravery and were "great patriots" in the face of a government that "had after nine years completely lost its moral compass".
Mr Pezzullo found the "pressure placed on officials" to release the news was made worse by time issues, as Mr Morrison was about to hold a press conference.
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