Probe ordered into offshore detention contracts

Andrew TillettForeign affairs, defence correspondent

Updated Jul 31, 2023 – 6.24pm, first published at 6.15pm

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Former senior security mandarin Dennis Richardson will scrutinise contracts to operate offshore asylum seeker detention camps following allegations of suspect payments to political identities in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil announced the probe on Monday, just hours after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he would support a referral of contract management to the National Anti-Corruption Commission as long as it went back to 2012 when Labor was in office.

Andrew Tillett writes on politics, foreign affairs, defence and security from the Canberra press gallery.