Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton is facing fresh allegations over his involvement in granting a visa to a French au pair who reportedly worked for relatives of AFL boss Gillon McLachlan.
Mr Dutton reportedly intervened to allow the woman to enter the country, despite her tourist visa being cancelled due to concerns she intended to work.
The Guardian reports that the woman previously worked for Gillon McLachlan's relatives and was planning to visit them.
After allegedly being contacted by an AFL official on behalf of the family, Mr Dutton is believed to have granted the woman a tourist visa on public interest grounds.
The new claims come as a Senate committee investigates two other cases where Mr Dutton used his discretionary powers to grant visas to au pair workers in 2015.
Mr Dutton’s department spent $10,246 of public money fighting a freedom of information request for documents relating to the intervention.
'Humanitarian act'
Documents obtained by the ABC show Mr Dutton granted the woman a three-month tourist visa, on the condition she did not work.
"Having regard to this person's particular circumstances and personal characteristics, I have decided to use my discretionary powers ... as it would be in the public interest to grant this person a visa," he wrote.
"In the circumstances, I have decided that as a discretionary and humanitarian act to an individual with ongoing needs, it is in the interests of Australia as a humane and generous society to grant this person a visitor visa (subclass 600) for a period of three months."
Greens Senator Nick McKim quickly seized on the reports.
"Dutton has some serious questions to answer. Looking forward to the Senate inquiry," he posted to Twitter.
So too did opposition immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann.
"Labor expects the new Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ensure his minister fully cooperates with the Senate Inquiry and its efforts to get to the bottom of these matters," he said on Tuesday.
Mr Dutton's office has been contacted for comment.
