Comment from Labor on leak of Home Office plans

We’ll always listen to the advice of the security agencies and the experts first – and we’ll always work in the national interest.

 

I’m staggered that such critical changes to national security would be leaked from within the Government so carelessly today.   

 

We have the hugest respect for our security agencies and the work they do to keep Australians safe – and the Government needs to be extremely careful if it wants to tinker with the arrangements that have served Australia so well.

 

Australians would be very concerned if a new national security super department is being created just to keep Peter Dutton happy, especially when it’s so vehemently opposed by so many of his colleagues.   

 

It’s clear Peter Dutton’s Cabinet colleagues are alarmed that this is just a power play from him.

 

We expect any changes to be based on the recommendations of our security agencies – we want to hear what the experts have to say.

 

ENDS