Julie Delforce keeps DFAT ag job after investigation on Aussie Farms links

Julie Delforce will keep her Federal Government job, despite business links to animal activist group Aussie Farms. Here’s why an investigation found there was “no reason” she couldn’t stay.

Delforce investigation graphic for online.

EXCLUSIVE: A SENIOR agriculture official will keep her Federal Government job despite having business links to controversial animal activist group Aussie Farms.

The Weekly Times can reveal a federal investigation into Dr Julie Delforce, a senior sector specialist with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s agricultural productivity and food security division, found there was “no reason” why Dr Delforce should not remain in her role.

DFAT told The Weekly Times it had recently “reissued” its conflicts of interest and alleged misconduct policies.

It comes after The Weekly Times revealed Dr Delforce had links to Aussie Farms, the activist group currently under investigation for allegedly breaching the Privacy Act after it launched an interactive satellite map with the addresses and details of almost 6000 farmers.

Dr Delforce is a co-owner of web design business Sozo Production, which has shared the same post office box as Aussie Farms across three states since 2014.

Sozo Production also built the Animal Liberation ACT website, which helped form the Aussie Farms website – and Dr Delforce’s son Chris is the executive director of Aussie Farms.

online artwork oct 30 delforce chart

A DFAT spokesman said the department had “concluded its inquiries into allegations of misconduct relating to Dr Delforce and was taking all necessary action”.

“Dr Delforce will remain a DFAT employee and the department has determined there is no reason she should not continue working in the same role, which relates to the provision of technical advice on aspects of Australia’s aid program relating to agricultural development,” the spokesman said.

“DFAT is refreshing its Conduct and Ethics Manual and recently reissued chapter five and chapter 12 of its Conduct and Ethics Manual, which relate to conflicts of interest and managing alleged misconduct”.

Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke said it was “an absolute disgrace” that there was “a process that’s protected her … yet farmers are not afforded the same”.

He said it was “a national indictment on our society” that “claims of cruelty … nothing less than defamatory” continued to be “publicised” while the federal government were able to protect their own employee.

“If they can protect one employee, and there’s a whole industry under attack, that shows huge discrepancy around what we call fair and just in this country,” Mr Jochinke said.

Despite Dr Delforce continuing in her role as an agriculture official, a spokesman for Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the investigation should be a “wake-up call” to all government employees.

“The minister hopes that this is a ‘wake-up call’ to all government employees to be more mindful of avoiding the creation of any perceptions, real or otherwise, of support for actions that are so demonstrably in conflict with government policy,” the spokesman said.

“The minister has been notified that … action has been taken in relation to the staff member involved and how the department manages conflicts of interest”.

Mr Birmingham and DFAT would not say what “actions” had been taken against Dr Delforce.

MORE: CHRIS DELFORCE’S FEDERAL GOVT LINK

FEDERAL AG OFFICIAL’S LINK TO AUSSIE FARMS

DELFORCE LEAVES HIS FAMILY’S FARM OFF MAP

The Weekly Times recently revealed Dr Delforce’s personal Facebook showed she publicly liked posts linked to Aussie Farms, as well as the federal and Victorian Animal Justice Party pages, and 15 other pages associated with animal liberation.

Following this revelation, Dr Delforce unliked these pages.

DFAT’s Conduct and Ethics Manual states that on social media, “it is not appropriate for staff to make comment that is, or could be reasonably perceived to be compromising your capacity to fulfil your duties in an unbiased manner”.

The conflict of interest chapter in the manual on the DFAT website also states all department staff “must take reasonable steps to avoid situations where their private financial or other interests (or those of immediate family members, such as spouse/partners or dependants) could be perceived to conflict with their official duties”.

DFAT did not say if this statement was still included in its “reissued” chapter on conflicts of interest.

The department has not published its changes on the revision history section of the DFAT website, where previous changes to the manual have been documented.

DFAT secretary Frances Adamson said late last year the Conduct and Ethics Manual is the “principal source of departmental guidance and policy on conduct and ethics issues for all.”