The commissioner of Australian Border Force has today been sensationally sacked from his post, after a lengthy investigation ruled that his conduct with regards to a female staffer was inappropriate.
Roman Quaedvlieg went “on leave” from his position back in May, amid quiet accusations of an inappropriate relationship with a young female staffer, reportedly in her 20s. Quaedvlieg, aged 52, is married.
At time time, a review lead by the Prime Minister’s department recommended Quaedvlieg be relieved of his duties, however an external investigation was instead commissioned and carried out by the Prime Minister’s Department and the Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity; one that was drawn out over a 10-month period of time, attracting criticism from both the Opposition Party and, unbelievably, from Quaedvlieg himself.
One of the nation’s highest-paid public servants, Quaedvlieg was paid in excess of a whopping $500,000 during his time on leave from the job. A career cop and former chief police officer in the ACT, he was the inaugural commissioner of Australian Border Force.
Quaedvlieg’s sacking is unprecedented in Australian public service, particularly within such a high-ranking position, and today’s decision is expected to trigger a reasonably significant restructuring of the department, which serves under Peter Dutton‘s bafflingly powerful regime.
The official wording of the statement confirming his sacking is (perhaps deliberately) quite vague, but hints at previous accusations of misconduct that suggested Quaedvlieg improperly used his power to grant a promotion to the staffer in question.
https://twitter.com/workmanalice/status/974146927355772928
Details surrounding Quaedvlieg’s actions are set to be revealed to the public in the coming days; the legislation that covers a sacking of this nature also dictates that Peter Dutton detail the reasons behind it to a sitting house of Parliament within seven days of the termination.
So for those politics and bureaucracy nerds among you, get the popcorn ready. Shit’s fixin’ to get real spicy, real bloody quick.
