Daryl Maguire raised visa concerns with Michael McCormack
Disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire raised concerns about temporary worker visa changes with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, while he was involved in an alleged cash-for-visa scheme.
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Disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire raised concerns about temporary worker visa changes with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, while Maguire was involved in an alleged cash-for-visa scheme.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Mr Maguire approached Mr McCormack, who was his local federal MP, in December 2017 asking for information about Commonwealth changes to 457 visas.
It is understood the request was passed on to then-Immigration Minister Peter Dutton as a matter of routine action, who subsequently returned a standard departmental response explaining the new visa system.
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In April that year the federal government had announced the Temporary Work (Skilled) “457” visa would be abolished and replaced with a new Temporary Skill Shortage visa.
In a statement Mr McCormack said in the “normal course of parliamentary business” as Riverina MP, his office received representations “from NSW MPs in the seats of Cootamundra, Orange and Wagga Wagga”.
“When matters relate to the federal government’s responsibilities, including immigration, representations are forwarded, as per normal process, to relevant Ministers and Departments,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Mr Dutton said the Minister had “never met or spoken with Mr Maguire” confirming the department had conducted a “first search” of its database looking for any correspondence.
“Minister Dutton, in his previous capacity as Minister for Immigration and Border Protection or as Minister for Home Affairs, has not issued a visa based on any representation of Mr Maguire or the business G8way International Pty Ltd,” she said.
Documents tendered as evidence to the NSW ICAC show eight visas connected to the investigation into Mr Maguire were denied or approved between May 2013 and October 2017.
This week Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo confirmed his department was assisting ICAC with their inquiries, and his “preliminary” advice was that Mr Maguire had personally made representations at a federal level about visas.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday confirmed there had been no correspondence with Mr Maguire during his tenure as Immigration Minister.
“The PMO has been advised by the Department of Home Affairs that a first, complete search of its database did not identify any correspondence from Daryl Maguire or the business G8way International Pty Ltd to the Prime Minister in his former role as Immigration Minister,” the spokesman said.
“Additional searches conducted in the PMO indicate the Prime Minister has not received any such correspondence in his current role.”
A government spokeswoman also told The Daily Telegraph Immigration Minister David Coleman and Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge had no record of correspondence with Mr Maguire.
“As the Secretary outlined at Senate Estimates, the Department of Home Affairs maintains records regarding correspondence to portfolio Minsters regarding portfolio related matters,” she said.
“There is no record of any contact between Mr Maguire and Mr Tudge.
“There is no record of any contact between Mr Maguire and Mr Coleman.”
One visa was also granted in June 2013, at the time Labor frontbencher Brendan O’Connor was the Immigration Minister.
The Daily Telegraph understands Mr O’Connor also had no recollection of contact with Mr Maguire at any time.
Originally published as Daryl Maguire raised visa concerns with Michael McCormack
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