AFP raids Department of Home Affairs over Peter Dutton au pair leaks

THE AFP could be forced to hand back material it has seized from the Department of Home Affairs over damaging leaks involving Peter Dutton’s intervention to save two foreign au pairs form deportation.

THE Australian Federal Police could be forced to hand back material it has seized from the Department of Home Affairs over damaging leaks involving Peter Dutton’s intervention to save two foreign au pairs form deportation.

AFP officers raided the department’s Canberra headquarters this morning as part of its investigation into the leaking of a string internal correspondence revealing high-level lobbying by AFL boss Gillon McLachlan to the Home Affairs Minister.

It is expected the AFP will now have to hand over the material to the Clerk of the Senate after Labor senator Louise Pratt dramatically claimed parliamentary privilege.

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Former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Picture: Gary Ramage

The raids, revealed online by the Herald Sun this morning, included searching the workspace and personal devices of a public servant suspected of leaking information about the au pairs.

The leaked emails revealed Mr McLachlan sought assistance from Mr Dutton on behalf of a French au pair who was set to stay with the AFL chief executive’s relatives.

Mr McLachlan was later called to give evidence to a senate committee considering the Home Affairs Minister’s intervention to stop the French and Italian women from being deported from Australia in 2015.

Mr Dutton said at the time it was clear the leaks had been orchestrated to damage him.

Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo then referred the leaks to the AFP, saying emails and other records about the two au pair cases had been inappropriately leaked.

AFL CEO Gill McLachlan. Picture: AAP

Senator Pratt, who chaired the parliamentary inquiry into Mr Dutton’s handling of the two au pair cases, wrote to AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin today to claim parliamentary privilege over the material seized.

“I will ask for my claim of privilege to be dealt with by the Senate,” Senator Pratt said.

“Parliamentary privilege is an incredibly important principle that enables the Parliament to hold the Government to account, and it must be respected.”

The move will now spark an inquiry by the Senate Privileges Committee to decide whether to approve Senator Pratt’s claim.

Peter Dutton released French au pair Alexandra Deuwel after lobbying from AFL boss Gillon McLachlan. Source: Facebook

If the Senate agrees with the claim, the material seized during this morning’s raid would be protected by parliamentary privilege.

Following this morning’s raid, the AFP said it received a referral from the Department of Home Affairs on August 30 regarding “an unauthorised disclosure of information”.

“The AFP has undertaken enquiries and conducted a number of activities in relation to this investigation,” the AFP said in a statement.

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