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The former head of the Department of Home Affairs\u2019 engagement with a Liberal powerbroker was \u201creckless\u201d, \u201cill-advised\u201d and beyond the boundaries of normal public service practice, a previously unreleased confidential report found.<\/p>\n
The independent probe led to the sacking of Michael Pezzullo as secretary of the Department of Home Affairs <\/a>in November 2023 after it concluded he had breached the government\u2019s code of conduct at least 14 times. This included using his power for personal benefit.<\/p>\n The inquiry probed a series of messages Pezzullo had allegedly sent to a Liberal party insider, Scott Briggs, in an attempt to influence political processes. The report did not find, and the Guardian does not suggest, that Briggs engaged in misconduct.<\/p>\n The report, by former Australian public service commissioner Lynelle Briggs, who is not connected to Scott Briggs, was not released by the government at the time. But the former independent senator Rex Patrick this week obtained the partially redacted report after a freedom of information battle that lasted more than two years, and provided the document to media outlets including Guardian Australia.<\/p>\n The report described Pezzullo\u2019s conduct as \u201cill-advised, reckless and a step too far in terms of the boundaries of normal public service practice\u201d.<\/p>\n The report found Pezzullo had engaged with Scott Briggs over many years, seeking to advance his views and interests. The inquiry concluded that the duration of the engagement meant it could not be seen as a \u201cone off or temporary lapse of judgment\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the circumstances, it is hard to imagine that he might be trusted now and into the future by governments of either political persuasion or by his colleagues,\u201d Lynette Briggs wrote in the 66-page report.<\/p>\n Pezzullo sought to influence or interfere in ministerial appointments to suit his own personal interests, the inquiry found.<\/p>\n The report said Pezzullo had acknowledged he used his relationship with Scott Briggs and the Liberal insider\u2019s connections to two prime ministers \u2013 Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull \u2013 as a means of communicating his views on the machinery of government and ministerial appointments.<\/p>\n Pezzullo also failed to avoid and declare a conflict of interest in the granting of a contract to Scott Briggs\u2019 company DPG Advisory in 2021, the report said.<\/p>\n Lynelle Briggs also substantiated the allegation that Pezzullo had engaged in \u201cgossip and disrespectful critique\u201d of ministers and public servants.<\/p>\n By sending messages to Scott Briggs about sensitive government-related matters, Pezzullo breached ministerial confidentiality multiple times, the report found.<\/p>\n \u201cMr Pezzullo\u2019s conduct was made worse by the fact that Mr Briggs did not hold the security clearances that may otherwise have provided some protection,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n Patrick, who was a South Australian senator between 2017 and 2022, said department secretaries have \u201cconsiderable power, influence and responsibilities\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cConfidence can only come from transparency \u2013 the public must see the nature of the allegations, the manner in which they are investigated and dealt with (which includes finding of allegations that are baseless), and they must see that an official can fearlessly assist with an inquiry, and feel proud (and be congratulated) for doing so,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n The inquiry probed revelations in the Age and 60 Minutes about a series of messages, mainly over encrypted platforms Signal and WhatsApp, between Pezzullo and Liberal powerbroker Scott Briggs, who is not related to Lynelle Briggs. In the messages, Pezzullo disparaged senior Coalition ministers and advocated for a rightwinger to be the minister responsible for his department.<\/p>\n Pezzullo was retained as home affairs boss after the Albanese government was elected in May 2022. In September 2023, the then home affairs minister, Clare O\u2019Neil, asked Pezzullo to stand aside<\/a> pending the outcome of the investigation into the leaked messages.<\/p>\n Pezzullo, who became one of Australia\u2019s most senior and powerful bureaucrats,<\/a> was a former deputy chief of staff to Labor leader Kim Beazley. He rose through the ranks of the public service to become secretary of the then Department of Immigration and Border Protection in October 2014. He then led the newly created home affairs super department he advocated for in 2017.<\/p>\n Pezzullo was stripped of his Order of Australia appointment in September 2024<\/a> by the independent body that runs the honours.<\/p>\n Pezzullo declined to comment when contacted by Guardian Australia on Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n