Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is under fire for misleading parliament amid au pair scandal

Embattled Home Affairs Minister Petter Dutton misled Parliament about his relationship with an au pair who was granted a visa, an inquiry has found. 

The Labor-dominated Senate committee found on Wednesday Mr Dutton had personal connections to the employer of an au pair he granted a visa to, despite claiming otherwise.

The inquiry looked into Dutton’s decision to intervene in the visa cases of two European nannies Michela Marchisio and Alexandra Deuwel. 

Embattled Home Affairs Minister Petter Dutton (pictured) misled Parliament about his relationship with an au pair who was granted a visa, an inquiry has found

Ms Marchisio, an Italian nanny who was approved when Mr Dutton held the immigration portfolio, was employed by a former Queensland police colleague Russell Keag.

‘There is no basis for the minister to be able to say that he had no personal connection when the very genesis for this request came through his office because of his personal connections,’ Labor senator and committee chair Louise Pratt told parliament on Wednesday.

‘It is the view of the committee that the minister misled the parliament in this matter,’ Senator Pratt said.

When asked about personal connections in the lower house, Mr Dutton denied the claims. 

Emails obtained by the inquiry found Mr Dutton demanded an au pair detained at Brisbane airport to be considered for a visa, despite planning to work while on a tourist visa.

The ‘urgent’ consideration, sent at 6.30pm on June 17 2015, requested the au pair be granted a visa within an hour.

Michela Marchisio, an Italian nanny who was approved when Mr Dutton held the immigration portfolio, was employed by a former Queensland police colleague Russell Keag

‘This is urgent. The minister requires this submission tonight (preferably in the next hour as he has an appointment at 7.30pm),’ the email from Mr Dutton’s departmental liaison officer said. 

The woman was released from detention that night.

Emails between Ms Marchisio and someone in Australia reveal the Italian nanny was looking for a job for a ‘bit of cash to fund fun’.

She became employed by Mr Keag who reached out to Dutton’s office in an email that said it had been a ‘long time between calls’ but he needed help.

According to Mr Dutton, he had not spoken to his former colleague in 20 years until he was approached about the visa assistance. 

The emails also reveal the department disagreed with Mr Dutton’s push to grant visas (pictured) – but he went ahead with it anyway

The emails also reveal the department disagreed with Mr Dutton’s push to grant a visa to a woman detained in Adelaide in November 2015 – but he went ahead with it anyway.  

The inquiry has since called for statements on ministerial interventions in immigration cases to be made public to ensure they’ve met the appropriate guidelines.   

The committee recommended censuring Mr Dutton for failing to observe fairness in his decisions, thus disobeying ministerial standards.     

Liberal senator and committee member Jim Molan said the evidence had disclosed no instances of the minister acting improperly.

‘There is no basis for the minister to be able to say that he had no personal connection when the very genesis for this request came through his office because of his personal connections,’ Labor senator and committee chair Louise Pratt told parliament on Wednesday

‘Not only were they unable to locate a smoking gun, they learned that there was absolutely no gun at all,’ he said.

Earlier, Mr Dutton said the Labor-Greens dominated inquiry was politically motivated and predicted it would find him to be a ‘bad person.’

‘It will be a political report with political recommendations,’ he said.

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