According to a comprehensive report by Australian media, on the evening of Wednesday (19), the Senate Committee of Parliament released the findings of an investigation into the use of "minister Privileges" by internal affairs minister Peter Darton (Peter Dutton) to grant visas: the conduct of the current internal affairs minister "misled" Congress. It is suggested that consideration be given to formally denouncing it.
The committee, which is a majority of Labour lawmakers, said the investigation found that Darden was suspected of using minister privileges in 2015 to release two European nannies from immigration detention centres and grant residency visas. Some 160 pages of evidence, including internal documents and leaked e-mail records, revealed that an Australian Border Service official had warned Dutton that it was inappropriate for Darden to use authority to intervene in the November 2015 case. But after receiving help from the families of the two employers, Darton overturned the decision of the Border Guard officials and ignored their views, granting visitors` visas to the parties concerned, allowing the two nannies to remain in residence.
Chairman of the commission of inquiry, Labour Senator Louise Pratt t told: "I confirm that the evidence presented to the Commission shows that Darton minister has a personal relationship with the nanny`s employer, but he made the opposite statement to Parliament to that effect. Misled parliament. This undermines the integrity of the Australian immigration program. "
For weeks, scrutiny of Darden`s conduct has been the focus of media and political attention, as well as distracting Morrison`s new government. As a result, Greens Senator Adam Bandt immediately tried to launch a no-confidence motion, but failed. The federal Congress is about to adjourn for three weeks and is expected to join hands with the Federal Labour Party and the Green Party to file a no-confidence motion with home-affairs minister Darden.
Dutton is not expected to accept the findings, while Morrison continues to defend Dutton: "the immigrant minister has the discretion to deal with complex cases that the law does not take into account, and I have exercised privileges many times when I was an immigrant minister. Labour is blocking mutual benefit programs, but what we (Unionparty) does is stop refugee ships, gangsters and terrorist from coming to this country. " He told Channel 9.
