{"id":2034,"date":"2019-10-21T19:20:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T19:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/?p=2034"},"modified":"2019-10-22T11:32:49","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T11:32:49","slug":"pm-staffer-with-alleged-links-to-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-awaiting-security-clearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/pm-staffer-with-alleged-links-to-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-awaiting-security-clearance\/","title":{"rendered":"PM staffer with alleged links to QAnon conspiracy theorist is awaiting security clearance"},"content":{"rendered":"

The theories aired have been \u2018extraordinary and bizarre\u2019, says Penny Wong<\/span><\/h2>\n

The prime minister\u2019s department has revealed that a staff member who is working at Scott Morrison\u2019s official residence, and who Labor on Monday alleged in a Senate estimates hearing has links to a conspiracy theorist, is yet to receive a security clearance.<\/p>\n

Under questioning by Labor senator Penny Wong in the hearing, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet\u2019s first assistant secretary, Gerard Martin, revealed that a staff member employed at Kirribilli House on 12 August \u2013 on the recommendation of the prime minister\u2019s office \u2013 had received a police clearance but was awaiting a security clearance at a \u201cnegative vetting\u201d level 2.<\/p>\n

That level of clearance permits access to classified information and resources up to and including \u201ctop secret\u201d.<\/p>\n

Wong asked the department if it wanted to respond to the allegation that a conspiracy theorist who tweets under the handle @BurnedSpy34<\/span><\/a> was a friend of Morrison, with his wife a member of the prime minister\u2019s staff.<\/p>\n

She said the conspiracies aired by the theorist were \u201cextraordinary and bizarre\u201d.<\/p>\n

The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, intervened, saying the question would be taken on notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not aware of either the circumstances you describe or what is asserted in that particular story,\u201d Cormann said. \u201cI would be disappointed if your suggestion is that a wife couldn\u2019t be appropriately employed because of what may or may not be the activities of her husband, if indeed the activities are accurately reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are now going to allegations about a family member … of a staff member which I think goes beyond what I am comfortable dealing with on the spot without properly informing myself of the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie Foster, an assistant secretary of the department, said a colleague had made her aware of the alleged links to the QAnon conspiracy, but the department had not taken any action.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would expect any action, if any action was necessary, would come through either a police check or a security check,\u201d Foster said.<\/p>\n

The department said that the staff were employed by the department on the recommendation of the prime minister\u2019s office because the workload at Kirribilli House required two additional staff following the change of prime minister.<\/p>\n

There was no formal advertising process for the positions, and one of the additional household attendants was employed on 12 August after the house manager decided the proposed employee was \u201cfit for purpose\u201d.<\/p>\n

As reported by the Guardian, the QAnon conspiracy variously claims that Donald Trump is leading a behind-the-scenes fight against a shadowy deep state, that powerful forces are hiding and protecting satanic paedophile rings, and that a secretive individual named Q leaves clues for his followers to decipher on internet forums.<\/p>\n

The staff member is employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984, meaning the position did not need to be advertised and is tied directly to the relevant minister.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

by Sarah Martin<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The theories aired have been \u2018extraordinary and bizarre\u2019, says Penny Wong The prime minister\u2019s department has revealed that a staff member who is working at Scott Morrison\u2019s official residence, and who Labor on Monday alleged in a Senate estimates hearing has links to a conspiracy theorist, is yet to receive a security clearance. Under questioning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,3,164],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australias-move-to-the-right","category-political-issues","category-the-pm-and-the-qanon-conspiracy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t