Anthony Albanese has criticised the coalition for its “abuse” of the government on election day, claiming it violated caretaker traditions by pressing officials to announce the arrival of an asylum seeker boat.
In a report about the events of May 21 that was issued on Friday, Home Affairs Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo determined that “officials” were under pressure to make a comment regarding the arrival.
On its route from Sri Lanka to Australia, the boat was stopped near Christmas Island and ultimately turned around.
The Prime Minister claimed that despite the coalition’s pressure, Mr. Pezzullo responded appropriately that day.
He stated on Sunday on Sky News that “this was the final act of the Morrison government and that was one that disregarded convention and sought to abuse the relationship with the public sector.”
It should never happen again because that was a shameful act that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
According to Mr. Albanese, the administration would look into altering caretaker practises so that information is only disclosed when lives are in danger.
The term convention, he continued, “relies upon some aspect of decency and benevolence.”
The government’s actions on that day were not in any way respectable. It was unethical, opportunistic, unprecedented, and it shouldn’t have happened.
According to Mr. Pezzullo, former home affairs minister Karen Andrews exerted pressure on personnel while the on-water operation was still ongoing.
Ms. Andrews claimed on Saturday that there had been no violation of the caretaker conventions, which guarantee a nonpartisan approach to national governance when an election is called.
The prime minister instructed me to make the statement, so I did just that, she claimed.
She claimed that it was a “lawful request” and that she wanted a statement that “adhered to the facts.”
At the time, Mr. Pezzullo rejected the former administration’s request for information on the boat intercept to be shared with “chosen journalists,” stating it should never do so.
A suggestion to “amplify” the news by posting it on social media was also rejected by officials.
The Liberal Party blasted out text messages urging Australians to vote Liberal to “keep our borders secure” after the statement was posted on the website of the Australian Border Force.