Power player
The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes reveal a cache of messages Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo sent to a Liberal powerbroker in a bid to promote conservatives, oust enemies and revamp the national security regime.
Inquiry to examine key decisions by Pezzullo after secret texts with powerbroker revealed
The Home Affairs boss has stood aside while investigators look into whether he flouted the public service code of conduct or shared inside information improperly.
- by David Crowe and Matthew Knott
Exclusive
‘Honoured to serve’: Home Affairs chief’s years-long push to become public service head revealed
A barrage of messages Michael Pezzullo sent to a Liberal powerbroker reveals his drive to oust leading public servants and become Australia’s most senior bureaucrat.
- by Michael Bachelard and Nick McKenzie
Analysis
Mike Pezzullo and the secret D Notice: A short history
The powerful public servant suggested in 2019 a return to the D Notice to suppress press freedom. But what is a D Notice?
- by Tony Wright
Exclusive
‘Modern version of the D Notice’: How the Home Affairs boss tried to stifle press freedom
Michael Pezzullo pushed for the power to censor the media’s reporting of some national security issues after controversial raids on Australian journalists.
- by Michael Bachelard and Nick McKenzie
Exclusive
Five years. A thousand messages. How a top public servant tried to influence governments
Our reporters have uncovered a cache of messages, sent by Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo to a Liberal powerbroker, where he tried to protect his allies and denigrate his enemies.
- by Nick McKenzie, Michael Bachelard and Amelia Ballinger
Opinion
No minister, Labor or Liberal, will ever be able to trust Pezzullo again
Mike Pezzullo’s candid exchanges with Scott Briggs cannot be dismissed as a kind of political locker-room talk that means nothing.
- by George Brandis
Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/national/power-player-20230925-p5e7fq.html