‘They’re looking for a smoking gun that doesn’t exist’
The Home Affairs Minister has slammed a Senate inquiry scrutinising his intervention in visa cases as a “waste of taxpayers’ money”.
He tells Ray Hadley they’re looking for a “smoking gun that doesn’t exist”.
An inquiry is currently underway, examining whether Mr Dutton misused his ministerial powers to intervene in two visa cases.
In one of the cases, Mr Dutton stepped in to release a French au pair from detention in 2015, after being lobbied by AFL boss Gillon McLachlan.
The Home Affairs Minister has maintained his conduct was in line with the rules and tells Ray he has “absolutely nothing to hide”.
“I’d be happy to have every one of my decisions compared to the decisions of the Labor ministers.”
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Mr Dutton has also pointed to a report in the Courier Mail, which reveals the office of Labor’s would-be immigration minister Shayne Neumann lobbied to prevent a convicted murderer from being deported.
“Shayne Neumann, who would be the border protection minister, the home affairs minister in a Shorten government has been advocating for a criminal. Somebody who committed murder, whose criminal activity spanned four decades.
“When we say that we’ve cancelled more visas in the last 12 months than Labor did in the last six year, you can see why.”
Mr Dutton tells Ray it’s time to focus on the “issues that actually matter to people”.
“At the moment I just think they’re playing games and I think people are sick of it.”