Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has described the decision to go public about an asylum seeker boat on election day as the “final desperate acts of a dying government”.
Mr Marles referred to the ABC’s report which revealed former prime minister Scott Morrison’s office gave a directive to Border Force to release information that a boat from Sri Lanka had been intercepted near Christmas Island last Saturday.
Voters also received text messages from the Liberal Party on polling day about the boat carrying asylum seekers.
“This represents the final desperate acts of a dying government in the last few hours of the Morison government,” Mr Marles told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.
“What we have seen revealed is the true character of the Liberal Party. We saw our borders become less secure. We saw lives risked. We saw the national consensus around border security undermined.
“What’s completely clear, is that when it comes to the national interest, the Liberal Party just does not give a damn.”
Mr Marles said it was “an absolute disgrace”.
Earlier, Anthony Albanese said the coalition’s decision would be subject to an inquiry.
The prime minister said it was an “entire abuse of proper processes” and normal protocols for the publication of boat interceptions were not followed.
“This statement was made so it could facilitate the sending of … potentially many millions of text messages to voters in a last-minute scare campaign,” he told ABC radio.
“A disgraceful act from a government which was prepared to politicise everything but solve nothing.”
Mr Albanese has asked the Home Affairs Department to investigate the decisions that led to the statement being released on election day.
But former education minister Stuart Robert said it was “hilarious” Mr Albanese was criticising the former government given Labor’s own history of politicising boat arrivals.
The statement was appropriate to let Australians know about the historical weakness of the Labor Party on border security, Mr Robert said.
But he did not know text messages to voters about the boat’s interception would be sent.
“The fact a boat turned up is a statement of fact. How the information was disseminated, you’ll need others to comment on having not been the home affairs minister at the time,” Mr Robert told ABC radio.
On Wednesday, former home affairs minister Karen Andrews confirmed the text messages were sent without her approval or knowledge.
“I think Australian voters want to move on. The election is done and dusted, they want to get focused back on things that matter to them,” Mr Robert said.
