An FOI request released today clearly shows Immigration Minister Andrew Giles deliberately misled the Parliament.
Minister Giles received clear written advice from Home Affairs that drones were not used to monitor immigration detention detainees at large in the community just hours before he made the false claim on television that they were.
In a Sky News interview on 30 May, Minister Giles said:
“There is a quarter of a billion dollars that we've invested in supporting our law enforcement agencies to enforce, and that's enabled things like using drones to keep track of these people we know.”
Five days later, Minister Giles made the embarrassing confession in the Parliament that drones were not being used to monitor detainees and he blamed Home Affairs staff for the mistake.
He told the Parliament during Question Time on 3 June:
“Last week, in an interview on Sky News, I did state that Operation AEGIS was using drones. I relied on information provided by my department at the time, which has since been clarified.”
The FOI shows that Minister Giles received written advice from his department that contains no mention of drones being used to monitor detainees.
The FOI, published on the Right to Know website, requested all documents from Home Affairs that Minister Giles relied upon when he made the incorrect claim that drones were being used to monitor detainees.
In response, Home Affairs provided an email sent by Associate Secretary Emma Cassar at 9:39am on 30 May, just before Giles’ Sky interview at 11:15am, that said:
“Quick points on case monitoring in the community: - Drone footage over accommodation – to ascertain a) property risks, b) proximity to other properties/community/risk settings (eg: licenced venues).”
Click here to read the full email from Home Affairs to Giles.
Click here to read the full FOI request correspondence.
Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan said today’s FOI revelation heaped more embarrassment on a Minister who had demonstrated he was not up to the job.
“What is clear from this FOI is that Andrew Giles has deliberately misled the Parliament,” Mr Tehan said.
“One read of the very short and very clear advice from his department and it is obvious that drones were not being used to monitor detainees at large in the community.
“What this FOI proves is that Minister Giles was throwing the department under the bus when he said he was provided advice that required clarification. The advice was very clear and required no clarification. Minister Giles just got it wrong.
“It is even more unbelievable that it took Minister Giles five days to correct his mistake when the advice from his department was written in black and white, suggesting Minister Giles was again hiding from accountability and hoping to avoid responsibility.
“Minister Giles has a track record of dodging responsibility. He refuses to front the media when things go wrong, and this is not the first time he has thrown his department under the bus.
“But it’s the coverup that gets you, and Minister Giles has been caught deliberately misleading the Parliament by blaming Home Affairs staff for his own incompetence.
“Andrew Giles should do the honourable thing and apologise to his department and then resign.
“It has passed time for the Prime Minister to sack this incompetent minister.
“It is now beyond a joke that Giles is still in his job and still making mistakes.
“It just shows how weak the Prime Minister is that he will not sack his factional ally.”
ENDS
