One of the nation’s most powerful public servants blindsided her two ministers by releasing key new details about ex-detainees’ criminal records after the High Court’s landmark decision overturning indefinite detention.
In the days leading up to the Senate estimates appearance, Foster and departmental staff met with ministerial staff from the offices of O’Neil and Giles to discuss how to handle a request for information about the detainees from Paterson, the Coalition’s home affairs spokesman. “She came into the meeting with a clear sense of what would happen and what she would say ... she indicated she wasn’t going to provide a written response to Paterson, that she had made this decision.”This masthead has spoken to six other sources within the government, none of whom were in the meeting but all of whom had been told what was discussed, and all six agreed that Foster had indicated she would not provide a written answer to Paterson’s question.
Foster is due to appear again before the Senate committee on Wednesday and is expected to face further questions about the NZYQ decision, as well as the tensions between her and her two portfolio ministers.
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