Dumped former defence minister Kevin Andrews has challenged Malcolm Turnbull to restore Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to the powerful national security committee of cabinet, in a direct rebuke to the Prime Minister over national security arrangements following the Paris terror attacks.
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Mr Andrews is the third conservative MP in two days, following Tasmanian MP Andrew Nikolic and former prime minister Tony Abbott, to question Mr Turnbull's decision to remove Mr Dutton from the National Security Council, a key defence and foreign affairs decision making body.
In the wake of the Paris terror attacks there has been a call for Australia to close its borders to Muslim refugees from NSW state Nationals MP Andrew Fraser, while Mr Abbott also warned over the weekend that Islamic State terrorists could be hiding in the wave of refugees leaving Syria for Europe.
Mr Dutton moved to reassure Australians that the security checks on the 12,000 extra refugees coming from Syria and Iraq would not be rushed and that the government would not compromise on security checks for the incoming refugees.
Social Services Minister Christian Porter announced on Monday that a family of five from Homs would arrive in Perth in the next 24 hours under the federal government's special program for Syrians.
But in comments that underscore the simmering tensions in conservative Liberal ranks about the switch to Mr Turnbull, Mr Andrews told Fairfax Media the immigration minister should be a permanent member of the committee because "immigration and border protection are integral elements of national security".
"The immigration minister was a member of the NSC in the past and should be now. In my experiences as a past member of the NSC, the immigration minister brings a valuable and critical perspective to the decisions about our security. It is artificial to separate immigration issues from national security," he said.
In a radio interview on Monday, Mr Abbott highlighted the fact that the immigration minister, under him, had been a member of the key decision-making body.
"In the end it is up to the prime minister to decide who should be the member of all the various committees of cabinet," he said.
"The minister for border protection is, in my judgment, a significant part of our national security machinery."
Mr Turnbull, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Nationals leader Warren Truss, Attorney-General George Brandis, Treasurer Scott Morrison, Defence Minister Marise Payne and cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos comprise the current NSC, with ministers holding other portfolios such as immigration, health and finance and spy agency chiefs called in on an as-needed basis.
The immigration minister was a member of the NSC in both the Rudd and Gillard governments, as well as under Mr Abbott, but has not always been so.
Asked if he should be restored to the security council, Mr Dutton praised Mr Nikolic's long service in the army before becoming an MP but said it was "a matter for the Prime Minister" to decide if he was to be restored to NSC.
"My view is that yes, border protection is absolutely central to our national security, not only stopping people from leaving because if they leave they get more radicalised ... but also very importantly for people who seek to come to our country," he said.
"My department feeds a lot back in to the work being done by ASIS, ASIO and the Australian Federal Police."
Other Liberal MPs said a disgruntled Mr Abbott and his allies was clearly "sandbagging" the former prime minister's legacy by talking about national security issues and chipping Mr Turnbull, with one declaring he should "get over it, he's not PM anymore" and another stating Mr Abbott had to accept that he had his chance as prime minister and had "blown it".
Labor leader Bill Shorten said that he had ensured his immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, sat on on his National Security Committee and that "Malcolm Turnbull's decisions and the reasons behind them are a matter for him".
