Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo sacked by PM after breaching APS code of conduct

Controversial – and long-serving – Home Affairs Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo has been sacked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the recommendation of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Public Service Commissioner.

A statement posted on the Prime Minister’s website this morning says, “Earlier today, the Governor-General in Council terminated the appointment of Michael Pezzullo as Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs.

“This action was based on a recommendation to me by the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Australian Public Service Commissioner, following an independent inquiry by Lynelle Briggs. That inquiry found breaches of the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct by Mr Pezzullo. Mr Pezzullo fully cooperated with the inquiry.

“I thank Ms Briggs for conducting the inquiry. Stephanie Foster will continue to act as Secretary of the Department until a permanent appointment is made.”

It was revealed in September that Mr Pezzullo used his close relationship with Liberal Party powerbroker Scott Briggs to influence appointments and policy under former Coalition governments, allegedly sending more than 1000 encrypted messages to the influential NSW Liberal figure.

The leaked texts often urged Mr Briggs to use his close relationships with former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison to ensure conservative ministers were appointed to key portfolios, including in Mr Pezzullo’s own areas of responsibility.

The texts praise Peter Dutton during the 2018 Liberal leadership spill, telling Mr Briggs that if he lost the leadership contest, he would like to see “Dutton come back to HA [Home Affairs]” and there was no reason for him to “stay on the backbench that I can see”.

“You need a right winger in there – people smugglers will be watching … please feed that in.”

The text messages were legally obtained by Nine News through a third party.

Mr Pezzullo was immediately stood aside and an investigation was launched by Australian Public Service Commissioner Dr Gordon de Brouwer. He continued to collect a salary package worth more than $900,000 while the investigation was carried out.

Often described as “the hardest nut” in the APS, Mr Pezzullo was closely aligned with Mr Dutton, with whom he collaborated on forming the Home Affairs super-department.

His career in the upper echelons of the APS began when he was appointed Deputy Secretary of Defence, following stints as a political adviser to both Gareth Evans and Kim Beazley.

Under former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Mr Pezzullo became secretary of the Immigration and Border Protection Department, creating the Australian Border Force.

In 2017, he became secretary of Home Affairs. The move was widely seen at the time as an attempt by then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to ward off a challenge from Mr Dutton, who became minister of the powerful department.

It was a surprise Mr Pezzullo was retained after the Morrison government lost the last federal election. The allegations suggest he may have spent years attempting to influence and undermine senior ministers, contrary to the Australian Public Service code of conduct. It requires public servants to “maintain appropriate confidentiality” and “avoid any conflict of interest” in their work, as well as not improperly sharing inside information.

CPSU National Secretary Melissa Donnelly has called Mr Pezzullo’s termination “an appropriate and necessary step” in a statement to media.

“Whether you’re a grad in the ATO, an APS 3 working in a Services Australia Smart Centre or the Secretary of a Department – the APS values apply, and so too should the consequences of not adhering to them.

“Far too often we have seen everyday public servants being held to a higher standard than their bosses.

“The CPSU would like to acknowledge the tens of thousands of APS employees who, despite the failures of senior APS leadership, have continued to serve our country with integrity”, she said.

On Friday, the Remuneration Tribunal made a determination stripping secretaries of their entitlement to a year’s salary if their roles are terminated because they breached the APS Code of Conduct or acted corruptly, and have more than 12 months to serve on their contract.