Peter Dutton says the short-lived Operation Fortitude was meant to be targeted at taxi drivers in Melbourne.
The Immigration Minister told the ABC’s 7.30 program that Victorian Police had intended to interview taxi drivers over a number of issues, including:
- whether they had work rights
- whether they had overstayed their visas
- whether or not they have the appropriate licences
- whether their vehicles were road-worthy
He said people would then be referred to Australian Border Force officers.
Mr Dutton has come under fire for the cancelled operation, which faced enormous public pressure before being cancelled less than 12 hours after it was announced.
He said his office had been “advised for noting, not for clearance”.
“My adviser made a decision that was - the fact that a few Border Force officers were going to help the Victorian police interview some cab drivers - that was deemed to be low priority and appropriately so,” he said.
The Australian Border Force has also announced an internal review of its “media management and clearance processes” after its head admitted the agency's statement on the operation was "clumsily" written.
ABF Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg said it was “unfortunate”.
“Remediation will be put into place but it's not a fatal embarrassment,” he said.
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