DUTTON FREELANCING ON NATIONAL SECURITY

 After vehement denials from his own departmental secretary and the Foreign Minister on the weekend, Peter Dutton today appears to have confirmed there is in fact a proposal to expand the powers of the Australian Signals Directorate to the domestic arena.

 

There is no room for confusion in an area as important as national security. There is certainly no room for freelancing from Peter Dutton.

 

Labor should not have to warn the government about the dangers of political infighting interfering with national security policy. There is no greater responsibility of a government than keeping its citizens safe, and all ministers in this area must have their sole focus on that task only.

 

The leak of highly sensitive security documents on the weekend was itself a deeply worrying signal of internal struggles within the government on the matter of national security.

 

The contradictory messaging from Mr Dutton today is even more concerning.

 

So, who is right? Peter Dutton, or Mike Pezzullo, or Julie Bishop?

 

And why on earth are they saying different things about whether a proposal to expand the powers of the Australian Signals Directorate even exists?

 

This government needs to get its facts straight. Is there a proposal to expand the powers of ASD, or not?