Border Force commissioner sacked for helping girlfriend get job

Australian Border Force chief Roman Quaedvlieg has been sacked after nearly 10 months on paid leave for "misbehaviour" and failing to uphold his oaths by helping get his girlfriend a job on the force.

Mr Quaedvlieg swiftly hit back, saying he would consider his options and hinting he might take legal action.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton announced on Thursday that Mr Quaedvlieg had changed recruitment processes and carried out other activities to help his partner get a job at Sydney Airport. He had also failed to disclose his relationship with the woman.

Roman QuaedvliegCredit: Alex Ellinghasuen

"Needless to say, it is extremely unfortunate that it was necessary to terminate Mr Quaedvlieg's appointment," Mr Dutton said. "He has provided long and conspicuous public service in the critically important areas of law enforcement and national security.

"However, the relevant conduct went beyond an isolated error of judgement and ultimately undermined his capacity to continue in the office of ABF Commissioner."

The sacking brings to a close a 10-month saga during which Mr Quaedvlieg has been on paid leave on his annual salary of about $620,000. His case has been handled through a lengthy and circuitous process that began with the federal law enforcement corruption watchdog, was passed to the head of the public service Dr Martin Parkinson and finally adjudicated by Attorney-General Christian Porter.

Mr Quaedvlieg, a former Queensland and Federal Police officer, is the first statutory officer to be sacked in decades. His termination had to be enacted by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove on the advice of the government.

A report provided to the government by Dr Parkinson reportedly included details of intimate text messages between Mr Quaedvlieg and the woman that predated the time Mr Quaedvlieg had said the relationship began.

Mr Dutton said the top border protection official had changed recruitment processes “so as to advantage, at least in substantive part, a particular candidate for ABF employment”.

“Additionally he engaged in acts, and made omissions, which materially advantaged that candidate over other comparable candidates … and on that basis his conduct also amounted to misbehaviour and was inconsistent with his affirmation.”

He had "failed to disclose his relationship" even though the woman was applying for a job and he was in a position to influence the decision.

Roman Quaedvlieg at his Border Force swearing-in ceremony with then immigration minister Peter Dutton and prime minister Tony Abbott.Credit: Andrew Meares

Mr Quaedvlieg also failed to tell the government agency responsible for vetting security officials that he had left his wife and started a relationship with the woman. And he made a "wilfully or recklessly false statement to the [then] Minister for Immigration and Border Protection in relation to the status of his personal relationships".

Mr Quaedvlieg issued a brief statement on Thursday afternoon hinting he might take legal action.

"I ... have previously made a number of observations in relation to the inquiry processes and I intend to pursue these more formally in the relevant forums," he said.

"I will now take some time to fully consider my options."

He said he was told of his sacking about an hour before it was made public. He was offered a brief chance to resign before he was sacked but declined this because it would be "tantamount to a concession of culpability, which I strenuously deny", he said.

"I have consistently maintained my strong denial of those particularised grounds over the lengthy duration of this inquiry and I continue to maintain those denials," he said.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said he had made the “necessary legal determinations” on the case by considering Dr Parkinson’s report and “noting that all such determinations are potentially subject to further legal proceedings”, declined to comment further.