Home Affairs Minister’s AFP guard sacked for vulgar and racist comments
An Australian Federal Police officer who worked as the security detail on the home of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has been sacked for repeatedly making vulgar comments to a fellow female officer, a court has heard.
NSW
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An Australian Federal Police officer who worked as the security detail on the home of federal MP Peter Dutton has been sacked for repeatedly making vulgar comments to a fellow female officer who worked the same job, a court has heard.
Officer Trevor Goodwin had been deployed by the AFP to work in a “protective role” where his job was to guard Mr Dutton’s home in Camp Mountain, north west of Brisbane.
The security was needed on account of Mr Dutton’s role as the Federal Home Affairs Minister.
The Federal Court heard the AFP sacked Mr Goodwin after upholding five complaints made against him in March 2018 about his behaviour while on duty outside Mr Dutton’s house.
No criminal charges were laid.
Mr Goodwin challenged the AFP decision to sack him on May 15 last year, but on Wednesday the Federal Court upheld the move.
The court heard the five complaints were made by a junior female officer who worked with Mr Goodwin guarding Mr Dutton’s home.
Before it sacked Mr Goodwin, the AFP top brass said in its report on the complaint that his “conduct involved extremely vulgar and racist language and sexual harassment towards the only female and most junior member of your team, where she had asked you to stop on several occasions”.
The court also heard there was a second reason for his sacking.
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While on duty, Mr Goodwin made an “unauthorised traffic stop” where he ”chased down another vehicle, required it to pull over and stop and pretended to conduct a license check of the driver”.
But as an AFP officer, Mr Goodwin had no lawful authority to conduct a traffic stop, the court heard.
Mr Goodwin challenged his sacking in the Federal Court on a number of grounds, including that it breached natural justice.
Justice Mordecai Bromberg disagreed and rejected Mr Goodwin’s appeal.
He also ordered the ex-cop to pay the bill for his former employer’s lawyers.
Originally published as Home Affairs Minister’s AFP guard sacked for vulgar and racist comments