Christian Porter confesses to appointing Liberal mates to AAT

It’s official: Christian Porter confesses to appointing Liberal mates to AAT

More of the same at the AAT... but at least they're being honest about it

Attorney-General Christian Porter has put out the latest list of re-appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and this time there’s a refreshing dose of honesty.

In the fine print comes the political declaration that the announcement is “Authorised by Christian Porter, Liberal Party of Australia, Parliament House, Canberra” — which seems right given how thoroughly the government has stacked the AAT with ex-staffers, retired politicians and failed candidates.

Two notables stand out: Brendan Darcy, a former adviser to Kevin Andrews, first appointed in 2015, has had his term as a full-time member extended. Former Liberal senator Karen Synon, who joined the young Liberals at 16, has also had her role as a part-time member extended.

For the sake of completeness we should add Porter’s final line: “All of the appointees are highly qualified to undertake the important task of conducting merits review of government decisions'” — though as far as we can tell there was no open appointments process.

About the Authors

David Hardaker

Investigations Editor @d_hardaker

David Hardaker has an extensive career as a journalist and broadcaster, primarily at the ABC where he worked on flagship programs such as Four Corners, 7.30, Foreign Correspondent, AM and PM. He spent eight years reporting in the Middle East and can speak Arabic.

Charlie Lewis

Tips and Murmurs Editor @theshufflediary

Charlie Lewis pens Crikey's Tips and Murmurs column and also writes on industrial relations, politics and culture. He previously worked across government and unions and was a researcher on RN's Daily Planet. He currently co-hosts Spin Cycle on Triple R radio.