The Turnbull government’s creation of a Department of Home Affairs “super” portfolio in 2017 – incorporating various national security and law enforcement functions with immigration – was the now-dead dream of former defence minister Peter Dutton and secretary Mike Pezzullo. The aim was to re-create in Australia an equivalent to the US Department of Homeland Security and the UK’s Home Office .

The creation followed the merging of customs and immigration whereby its new head, Mike Pezzullo, ensured that his old agency, customs, would wag the immigration dog. It subsequently created the Australian Border Force, with its dark uniforms and guns.

No one was to be left in any doubt that immigration was solely about keeping the bad guys out.

After an announcement by Anthony Albanese, Asio is now moving back to the attorney general portfolio, along with the AFP, where the two functions had........

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