‘Disgraceful’: report reveals Morrison government pressured border force to promote election day boat arrival

Labor says action by former government sabotaged' protocols for political gain and was without precedent' in Australian history

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Morrison government staff pressured the Australian Border Force to draft and issue a statement about an asylum seeker boat intercepted on election day before the operation had finished, a damning departmental report has found.

Labor's home affairs minister, Clare O'Neil, released the report on Friday and accused the former Coalition government of having sabotaged the protocols that protect Operation Sovereign Borders for political gain" in an incident without precedent".