Home Affair portfolio: Peter Dutton to become most powerful figure in Malcolm Turnbull cabinet
IN a move that helps secure his own prime ministership and cements his right-wing credentials, Malcolm Turnbull has elevated Peter Dutton to the head of the new Home Affairs office.
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IMMIGRATION Minister Peter Dutton will become one of the Turnbull government’s most powerful players as head of the new Home Affairs office in the intelligence and security community’s biggest overhaul in more than 40 years.
In a move that helps secure his own prime ministership and cements his right-wing credentials, Mr Turnbull has elevated the government’s most senior conservative. In doing so, he has had to weaken the standing of Attorney-General George Brandis and Justice Minister Michael Keenan amid deputy leader Julie Bishop’s opposition to the restructure.
The new leader of the Right in the Federal Liberal Party, Mr Dutton’s far-reaching Home Affairs portfolio encompasses immigration, border force, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Australian Federal Police, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, AUSTRAC and the office of transport security, with two ministers reporting to him.
A taskforce will work out the logistics of the restructure process, expected to take about six months.
Mr Turnbull said the evolving and complex threats to Australia’s security required better integrated intelligence and domestic security arrangements.
“When it comes to our nation’s security, we must stay ahead of the threats against us,” he said. “There is no room for complacency. There is no room for set and forget.”
Mr Dutton credited Mr Turnbull for having the “resolve” to establish the Home Affairs department, pledging to be as tough on terror as former Prime Minister John Howard.
“For a long time prime ministers have been talking about the Home Affairs office and Malcolm Turnbull has been able to land this,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“Our Government has shown resolve to act in the national interest. I don’t think anyone could reasonably level a claim at this Government that we’re not conservative and doing everything within our powers in terms of the threat posed to us by terrorism.
“This shows that the Turnbull Government is as tough on national security as the Howard Government was. It shows we’re as serious as any government has been in dealing with the modern threat.”
In a separate move, an Office of National Intelligence will be set up, headed by a new Director of National Intelligence, to co-ordinate intelligence with our Five Eyes partners in the US, Canada, Britain and New Zealand.
The Australian Signals Directorate will become an independent statutory agency within the Defence portfolio.
The move follows an intelligence review by Professor Michael L’Estrange and Steven Merchant and adviser Sir Iain Lobban which made a series of recommendations to transform Australia’s intelligence agencies into a world-class intelligence community.
The role of the Attorney-General has been changed to exclude ASIO, but will still retain oversight of ensuring warrants are issued in accordance with the law. The ASIS, which focuses on offshore intelligence, will still report to Ms Bishop.
The L’Estrange review recommended that Australia’s top intelligence body, the Office of National Assessments, should double in size to cope with the growing terror threat Australia faces.
Mr Dutton said protecting Australians will be the home affairs minister’s top priority.
As The Daily Telegraph reported in January, Mr Turnbull chose the new Home Affairs portfolio to emulate the UK’s Home Office rather than the United States’ Homeland Security.
Mr Turnbull met with UK Prime Minister Theresa May to discuss the changes, given she was Secretary of the UK Home Office, sat in the room of the cobra committee and had a security briefing.
Elements of the intelligence community have objected to the changes, reluctant to share information and concerned there was no significant reason to change the current system.
Former Defence department secretary Dennis Richardson yesterday said the changes amounted to “presentation” rather than substance: “I think there is a reasonable argument in respect of immigration and bringing immigration closely together but beyond that it is primarily presentational.”
AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin also resisted the move. “I think the arrangements that we have now work and clearly we have shown to be quite successful,” he said.
ASIO director general Duncan Lewis, in a speech to the Australian Strategic Police Institute, said as Australia confronts the challenge of terrorism, he could not remember a time when “collaboration and co-operation have been as strong across the various national security agencies.”
The Government will also consider the intelligence review’s recommendation to appoint a Cyber Security Minister. “We will establish an Australian Cyber Security Centre 24/7 capability to respond to serious cyber incidents,” Mr Turnbull said.
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