Crossed wires over Scott Morrison’s call to top NSW cop Mick Fuller

Scott Morrison forced to clarify an incorrect statement to Parliament as NSW’s police chief rejects Labor’s ­attacks.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller. Picture: Brianne Makin

NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller has dismissed Labor ­attacks on Scott Morrison’s phone call to him over the investigation into Energy Minister Angus Taylor, but the Prime Minister is now under fire after being forced to clarify an incorrect statement to parliament.

As Mr Fuller promised an “open and transparent” NSW Police investigation into Mr Taylor that could be over as early as next week, Labor seized on the Prime Minister’s Tuesday phone call to him to question Mr Morrison’s judgment.

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Mr Fuller said Mr Morrison had “received no more or less ­information” than was publicly available in a NSW police media release confirming an investigation into Mr Taylor.

He said it was “hypocrisy” to claim that the phone call was inappropriate.

Labor seized on the phone call in a fiery question time that led to a stumble by Mr Morrison in parliament. The Prime Minister incorrectly quoted a Victorian detective as he defended his decision not to stand down Mr Taylor, citing Julia Gillard’s decision to remain as prime minister during a police ­investigation into an AWU slush fund scandal.

Anthony Albanese demanded Mr Morrison correct the ­record in person to the House of Representatives at 9.30am on Thursday. Attorney-General Christian Porter on Wednesday night tabled a letter conceding the Prime Minister had made a mistake, as revealed by The Australian.

Mr Morrison had faced repeated questioning from Labor over why Mr Taylor had not stood aside while NSW police investig­ated an allegation the minister’s office altered a document used to attack Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

On Tuesday, Mr Morrison ­revealed he had phoned Mr Fuller, his former neighbour, shortly after it was revealed that NSW Police had established a strike force to investigate Labor allegations about Mr Taylor.

 

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said he would not have made the call himself, while Labor Senate leader Penny Wong said Mr Morrison had “thrown his own integrity into question”.

Mr Fuller said he expected the investigation would be wrapped up next week.

“In terms of the investigation, I can’t comment any further,” Mr Fuller said. “However I can say that NSW police received the (Labor) complaint and I have acted appropriately and transparently. You can’t have a police commissioner making decisions to (conduct) an open and transparent investigation then suggest there’s something inappropriate in relation to receiving a phone call. It’s hypocrisy to say that. It was an extremely short conversation in that he just ­wanted confirmation we were conducting an investigation.”

It is understood that, during their phone call, Mr Fuller informed Mr Morrison that he did not expect the investigation to take long.

Seeking to deflect pressure in parliament, Mr Morrison attempted to draw in former Labor leaders Julia Gillard and Bill Shorten by using them as examples of a prime minister and frontbencher who had not stood down during police investigations.

The Prime Minister attributed quotes that Ms Gillard was under investigation over the AWU slush fund scandal to a Victorian detective. The quotes in fact belonged to radio presenter Ben Fordham.

Mr Morrison told parliament: “I refer to March 2013. Ross Mitchell, a detective in Victoria’s police fraud squad, stated the prime minister Julia Gillard was under investigation over her role in the creation of an AWU slush fund. ‘Let me make it perfectly clear’, he said, ‘the prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard is under investigation by police. This is fact’.”

Mr Morrison continued in his own words: “The prime minister (Gillard) obviously didn’t stand aside in relation to those matters. I remember the press conference.”

Mr Morrison had Mr Porter table a letter, admitting he incorrectly attributed a statement to the Victorian detective and not Fordham. Mr Morrison did not make the correction in person because he had left Canberra for a family commitment.

Mr Albanese declared the government, in trying to protect Mr Taylor, was “bringing down the Prime Minister”.

Neither Mr Taylor nor his office had been contacted by police by Wednesday night.

Mr Turnbull said it was vitally important that any police inquiry was seen to be conducted “entirely free of political influence”.

Additional reporting: Olivia Caisley