Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews has denied pressuring border authorities to release information about the arrival of an asylum seeker boat on election day, on behalf of former prime minister Scott Morrison.
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On May 21, the day of the federal election, the Operation Sovereign Borders Commander issued a statement announcing an unauthorised vessel from Sri Lanka had been intercepted on its way to Australia.
Text messages about the boat's interception were later sent out by the Liberal Party, telling Australians to vote Liberal to "keep our borders secure".
A report by department secretary Mike Pezzullo, published on Friday afternoon, has shown the former Coalition government government pressured the Home Affairs Department to release, and amplify, a public statement on election day regarding a vessel interception.
In a rather tense panel interview on Saturday, Ms Andrews denies her office pressured the department.
"I asked, clearly, for the statement to be put out in a very situational awareness type of report," Ms Andrews, who is now the opposition spokesperson for home affairs, told Nine News on Saturday.
"It just needed to be put out there so that it was clear that there had been a vessel that had been intercepted.
"I don't recall that there has ever been a boat that has been intercepted on election day so we weren't in circumstances that were every day of the week, thankfully."
Meantime, the threat of foot and mouth disease in Indonesia is amplifying for the government, as the opposition accused Labor of being caught out by the threat, less than 24 hours after biosecurity officers were given more powers.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt on Friday authorised the establishment of biosecurity response zones in the nation's international airports where travellers into Australia can be screened more thoroughly.
"These zones strengthen and widen the powers of biosecurity officers to direct passengers to use foot mats and other biosecurity control measures such as the cleaning of shoes," he said.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, who is the coalition spokeswoman for infrastructure, transport and regional development, said it was not enough.
"The government now has been flat-footed on this," she told Nine Network on Saturday.
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