Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton personally intervened to stop the deportation of a French au pair.
Alexandra Deuwel, 27, was detained at Adelaide Airport on October 31, 2015 after telling immigration officials she intended to work in Australia.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan, whose relatives Callum and Skye MacLachlan had employed Ms Deuwel as a nanny, immediately lobbied Mr Dutton for her release.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton personally intervened to stop the deportation of a French au pair (pictured)
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan’s relatives Callum and Skye MacLachlan (pictured with their children) previously employed Ms Deuwel as a nanny
A day later, Ms Deuwel was granted a three-month tourist visa after Mr Dutton determined it was in the public interest, ABC News reported.
Less than six months earlier Ms Deuwel had been counselled by Australian Border Force officers about breaching her visa conditions while leaving Australia.
When she flew to visit the MacLachlans she told officers she planned to work and had her eVisitor visa cancelled as a result.
After her detention, Mr Dutton’s chief of staff Craig Maclachlan is understood to have been contacted by an AFL official on behalf of Mr McLachlan.
Gillon McLachlan is the second cousin of Callum MacLachlan, although they spell their surnames slightly differently.
Craig Maclachlan spells his surname differently again but is not related to any of the parties involved.
Alexandra Deuwel (pictured), 27, was detained at Adelaide Airport on October 31 2015 after telling immigration officials she intended to work in Australia
A day later Ms Deuwel was granted a three-month tourist visa after Mr Dutton (pictured) determined it was in the public interest
Mr Dutton used his discretionary powers to grant Ms Deuwel a visa under the condition she did not undertake paid work.
The move was described as ‘discretionary and humanitarian act’ for a person with ‘ongoing needs’, decision submission documents obtained by ABC News revealed.
The document stated the decision was in the ‘interests of Australia as a humane and generous society’.
Mr Dutton, who lost his immigration responsibilities after last week’s spill and the resulting Cabinet reshuffle, was Sports Minister from in 2013 and 2014.
Ms Deuwel (pictured) was counselled by Australian Border Force officers in May 2015 about breaching her visa conditions while leaving Australia
After her detention, Mr Dutton’s chief of staff Craig Maclachlan is understood to have been contacted by an AFL official on behalf of Mr McLachlan (pictured)
His register of interests revealed he attended the AFL grand finals in both years, as well as the North Melbourne grand final breakfasts.
Mr Dutton is already due to face an upcoming Senate inquiry over his involvement in the cases of two other au pairs.
A report on the two cases, from Brisbane Airport in June and November 2015, is due on September 11.
A former immigration department official said ABF officers were upset their decisions were overruled ‘so quickly and at such a senior level for such a trivial matter’, The Guardian reported.
Mr Dutton released a strongly-worded statement refuting any suggestions of impropriety.
He said immigration ministers receive hundreds of inquiries each year on individual migration matters from members of the public, organisations, journalists and MPs.
‘There are long standing intervention powers provided to ministers to consider and deal with these representations,’ Mr Dutton said in a statement on Tuesday.
‘I consider cases on their merits. Any suggestions cases are determined on any other basis, including whether I knew the individual who referred the matter, is completely ridiculous.
‘There is an administrative process to be followed and it has been followed in every instance.’
Daily Mail Australia contacted Alexandra Deuwel, Callum Maclachlan and Gillon McLachlan for comment.
Mr Dutton used his discretionary powers to grant Ms Deuwel a visa under the condition she did not undertake paid work