AFL chief Gillon McLachlan to face Senate inquiry into au pair saga

Gillon McLachlan will face questions at tomorrow’s Senate probe into the au pair saga that has embroiled Peter Dutton.

AFL chief Gillon McLachlan will appear via teleconference at a Senate inquiry into the Peter Dutton au pair drama. Picture: Getty

AFL head Gillon McLachlan will appear via teleconference at tomorrow’s Senate inquiry into the au pair saga after he connected his cousin, Callum MacLachlan, to Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton’s office to stop the deportation of a French au pair who officials believed intended to work in breach of her tourist visa.

Mr McLachlan conceded last week it had a waft of “mates helping mates” but said he had simply asked for an email to be passed on and had never met the au pair.

The AFL’s head of government relations Jude Donnelly will also make an appearance at the inquiry, set up by Labor and the Greens, as will Department of Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo and several migration agents.

Greens MP Adam Bandt has failed to win enough support to successfully move a motion of no confidence against Mr Dutton in the wake of the au pair controversy, as Labor declared his use of ministerial discretion was “anything but routine”.

Maverick Queensland MP Bob Katter and Nationals MP Kevin Hogan told The Australian they would not support the motion when it is moved in the House of Representatives next week, leaving Mr Bandt at least one vote short.

The Coalition has lost its majority in the lower house after Malcolm Turnbull quit parliament and Mr Hogan announced he would move to the crossbench but support the government on issues of confidence and supply.

“I won’t be supporting no confidence motions against the government, including ministers,” Mr Hogan told The Australian.

Mr Katter said the campaign against Mr Dutton after he intervened to allow two European au pairs to enter the country on tourist visas following lobbying from a former Queensland police colleague and AFL head Gillon McLachlan was “ridiculous”.

Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie said she would talk to her Senate colleagues about the motion on Friday before deciding whether to support it, but said the revelations around the au pairs were “deeply troubling”.

“The new Prime Minister does need to deal with this,” she said.

The Senate voted on August 23 to establish the inquiry to look into “allegations concerning the inappropriate exercise of ministerial powers, with respect to the visa status of au pairs, and related matters”.

The Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, headed by Labor senator Louise Pratt, is due to report back by September 11.