MALCOLM Turnbull has confirmed he texted Australia’s spy chief Duncan Lewis with the mobile phone number of Liberal MP and SAS hero Andrew Hastie, who has argued that Islamic teachings are linked to terrorism.


The Prime Minister told the Sunday Herald Sun, on his return from Japan, that he did not regard it as instructing the ASIO chief to call Mr Hastie, a family friend of the spy chief.

Mr Turnbull’s confirmation follows a storm of controversy that he was using the ASIO chief to silence or “re-educate” critics linked to Tony Abbot.

“I certainly did not direct Duncan Lewis to call him, let alone suggest what he would say,’’ Mr Turnbull said. “I welcome Mr Lewis engaging with MPs and senators on these issues.”

The Sunday Herald Sun has confirmed that the PM also held private talks with Mr Hastie in Perth on December 9, where he canvassed his views on Islam, before texting the MP’s mobile phone number to ASIO Director-General Duncan Lewis.

On Friday, Mr Turnbull publicly denied he had ordered Lewis to talk to “anybody in particular’’

“Look, I haven’t given Duncan Lewis any — I haven’t asked him to do, to give any advice to anybody in particular but I encourage Duncan Lewis to speak to as many people as he can,’’ Mr Turnbull said.

However, Mr Hastie said the ASIO chief’s call was a “bolt from the blue’’. “I certainly didn’t expect to hear from the head of the ASIO,’’ Mr Hastie said.

“I was called out of the blue. When the head of ASIO calls, you pick up. At no point did I feel that my ability to speak my mind was affected. Look, to be honest, I am my own man. I stand by everything I’ve said about Islam.

“I know my views don’t accord with some of Malcolm’s but that’s fine, the Liberal Party is a broad church. I didn’t expect this story to appear in the press.’’

But other MPs insisted that the former SAS commander was asked by the ASIO chief to pass on ASIO’s message to other MPs.

The ASIO chief’s calls to Dan Tehan, the chairman of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence Committee, were entirely routine and Mr Tehan has defended the contact as a completely normal part of Mr Lewis’s job.

Mr Turnbull has previously stated — following reports that Mr Lewis was calling “Coalition MPs’’ — that he had phoned two MPs.

What disturbs me more is that Hastie knew it was the Boss of ASIO!  Huh.......???????????????  A new MHR has the number of the Boss of ASIO on his phone?  Doesn't that compromise the ASIO Boss?  Surely there ought be a very solid impregnable wall between a bloke in that position and the general tea lady Member of Parliament?

Further, if Turnbull did not want this bloke to ring Hastie...he had no need to give him Hastie's number.  He already had it.  Therefore, Turnbull is an outright liar.

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One would expect the head of ASIO would have more knowledge on the subject than any MP's....Advising people to pull their heads in about inciting hatred against any particular minority group is just common sense IMO....Dog whistling politics does nobody any good apart from those who suck in the gullible!!!

What disturbs me more is that Hastie knew it was the Boss of ASIO!  Huh.......???????????????  A new MHR has the number of the Boss of ASIO on his phone?  Doesn't that compromise the ASIO Boss?  Surely there ought be a very solid impregnable wall between a bloke in that position and the general tea lady Member of Parliament?

Further, if Turnbull did not want this bloke to ring Hastie...he had no need to give him Hastie's number.  Hastie already had it.  Therefore, Turnbull is an outright liar.

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Armchair_Politician wrote on Dec 20^th, 2015 at 4:27pm:


We all read that.  It's in the OP.  Changes nothing.

philperth2010 wrote on Dec 20^th, 2015 at 2:35pm:


I'm not sure if you are trying to be stupid deliberately

but surely its not that hard to understand that it was Turncoat that told the HEAD BOSS at ASIO to call up MPs and suggest that they "SHUT UP"

where's your crying about democracy now?