Would-be powerbroker Mike Pezzullo has been officially stripped of his Order of Australia honour. Photo: File.
Former Department of Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo has been officially stripped of his Order of Australia, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
His appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia was officially terminated by Governor-General Sam Mostyn late last month, but the decision has only just been published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette.
No reason for the decision was published.
Mr Pezzullo was sacked as Home Affairs secretary in November last year after it was revealed he 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 over a five-year period.
His sacking was preceded by a suspension while a high-level Australian Public Service Commission investigation into the behaviour took place.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged Mr Pezzullo’s full cooperation with the inquiry.
In April this year, the former department head appeared on ABC Television’s 7.30 program to discuss the matter, saying he accepted his behaviour crossed a line.
But he added that his punishment did not have to be as harsh as it was.
“I accepted at the time there had been conduct that fell short of the appropriate standards,” Mr Pezzullo said.
“What I sought to rebut was that they were of such a grievous kind that they warranted a dismissal.
“I put an alternative view that perhaps an appropriate censure or reprimand would have been relevant or appropriate in the circumstance …
“A line was crossed in terms of not using established processes to pursue those agendas, whether those agendas related to policy, program, resources, or other benefits, and I paid a price …
“I certainly accept the finding that, no matter how much rough-and-tumble there is in a place like Canberra, the gaining of influence and the personal advantage to be gained by way of certain channels of communication, whether it’s to the Prime Minister or anyone else, crosses a line in terms of conduct.
“I accept that and I’ve paid a price.”
Mr Pezzullo’s 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 made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2020 for: “Distinguished service to public administration through leadership roles in the areas of national security, border control and immigration.”
In a statement issued to and published by the ABC following the recent removal of his AO honour, Mr Pezzullo said: “With wars underway around the world, and more likely to break out, possibly in the Pacific, with rising intolerance and anger in public debate, with many people struggling to make ends meet, and many other problems besides, being stripped of my official honour does not amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.
“Those who recommend and make these decisions believe presumably that it is a just and fair one.
“As a nation, we need to focus urgently on far more pressing and serious matters.”
In a lengthy commentary published in the August edition of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s journal The Strategist, Mr Pezzullo suggested an “eminent persons group” be established to mentor a strategic assessment of the likelihood of war in the region and what extra preparations might be required.
His idea is for the eminent persons group, which would be external to the government, to consist of all “living former deputy secretaries of defence strategy and former vice chiefs of the Defence Force”.
Mr Pezzullo is himself a former deputy secretary for strategy of the Defence Department.
Referring to the group as an “all-star” union, Mr Pezzullo said it could guide and mentor the strategic assessment project, which would be conducted by “the best and brightest Australian minds from think tanks and academia, as well as serving Australian Public Service and Australian Defence Force members”.
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