AFL boss Gillon McLachlan linked to second visa lobbying case, an Argentinian polo player

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan intervened in a second visa case for a “friend of a friend” — an Argentinian polo player — at the same time his second-cousin was on the board of the Australian Polo Federation.

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan intervened in a second visa case for a “friend of a friend” — an Argentinian polo player — at the same time his second-cousin was on the board of the Australian Polo Federation and Scott Morrison was immigration minister.

The revelation comes as Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is facing mounting pressure over his decision to overrule his own department’s advice in granting a visa to a French au pair who worked for Mr McLachlan’s relative, Callum MacLachlan, in the Barossa Valley.

It can now be revealed Callum is on the International Polo Committee, and was a director of the Australian Polo Federation when Mr McLachlan intervened on behalf of the Argentinian player.

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AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has fronted a parliamentary inquiry over his role in lobbying Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to save a French au pair from being deported. Picture: Luke Bowden

The French au pair Mr Dutton saved from deportation, Alexandra Deuwel, also worked at the polo in South Australia in late 2014, according to social media posts.

Appearing before a parliamentary inquiry examining whether Mr Dutton misused his power in saving the French au pair from deportation, Mr McLachlan revealed he asked the AFL’s head of government relations and former Liberal staffer, Jude Donnelly, to inquire about the polo player’s visa status.

The lobbying was made when Mr Morrison was immigration minister in March 2014, but the new PM on Wednesday said he had “no recollection” of the polo player’s case in 2014.

“I was contacted by someone who was awaiting a business visa, a friend of a friend, who was wanting to come into the country, waiting for their visa to be processed, had language issues, and I asked Ms Donnelly to understand whether the visa had been approved or not,” Mr McLachlan told the inquiry.

Federal Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton. Picture: AAP

Ms Donnelly said she contacted Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s office to inquire about the Argentinian polo player, but his business visa was already being processed for his trip.

The Department of Home Affairs has now referred a leak of secret documents and emails about the French au pair case — first published by the Herald Sun last week — to the Australian Federal Police.

The emails showed Mr McLachlan and Ms Donnelly appealed to Mr Dutton’s office to overrule border control chides and allow Ms Deuwel, to stay in the country on November 1, 2015.

Lobbying began to then immigration minister Scott Morrison’s office in March 2014.

The Senate inquiry heard on Wednesday Ms Deuwel was previously “counselled in terms of suspicion” of violating her visitor visa conditions by working in Australia, contributing to the “financial liability” in letting her stay.

Mr Dutton has intervened in visitor visa decisions just 25 times since becoming immigration minister in December 2014, while he has used his discretionary powers to grant more than 4100 visas.

Mr Dutton is also facing questions over an intervention to stop an Italian au pair, who was staying with the family of a former Queensland Police colleague, from being deported.

The inquiry heard from migration agent Helen Duncan, who said she found it difficult to find “any public interest” in granting the foreign au pairs a visa.

Another migration agent, Eve Watts, said the only two successful cases of ministerial intervention she had been involved in included lobbying from Liberal MPs Andrew Hastie and Ben Morton.

THE NANNY, THE AFL BOSS & DUTTON

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