Home Affairs' million-dollar contracts on social cohesion and Australian values deemed secret

The department launched its Australian Values campaign before January 26 this year, creating a website along with Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo told an estimates hearing his teams were working with other departments to counter disinformation and prevent foreign interference, provide factual information about COVID-19, and to promote Australian values.

But a report by a private contractor informing the campaign and handed to the department in January has been blocked from public release after a freedom-of-information request by The Canberra Times.

Additional documents relating to the campaign's planning and purpose, including a ministerial submission, talking points and departmental emails, were also blocked in the request.

The department's reasons for blocking the documents' release included detriment to their commercial value, revealing operations of the agency and a blanket cabinet document exemption.

Labor's immigration and multicultural affairs spokesperson Andrew Giles warned the public was being left in the dark over what exactly the government was planning and whether the campaign was achieving its goals.

Earlier in the year, Mr Pezzullo outlined his department's work on social cohesion in light of COVID-19-related tensions.

Details on how the department had determined what the key values were and how they would track their success were not outlined.

"The department is also focused on strengthening social cohesion by promoting Australia's inclusive national identity, citizenship and Australian values," he said in March this year.

"Before Australia Day 2021, we launched a new website and a number of social media channels promoting and celebrating Australian values."

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The federal government's tender and contracts site shows one supplier received a nearly $6 million contract in December 2020 for its work delivering strategic communication activities in support of social cohesion to the Home Affairs Department.

The supplier, a little known company called World Services, has received nearly $7.5 million in contracts for Home Affairs Department work since March 2020.

In an answered question on notice to Labor senator Kristina Keneally, the department responded a $750,000 contract handed to the company in March 2020 was given to deliver a social media analysis on mis- and disinformation at the onset of the pandemic.

It was engaged through a limited tender due to "extreme urgency or events unforeseen" relating to the health crisis, the department said.

Mr Giles argued more transparency was needed, noting the information commissioner had found earlier this year the department did not "have adequate governance and systems of accountability in place".

"While we know only too well how the words and the actions of the Morrison-Joyce government have divided communities, we remain in the dark as to what they've done to advance social cohesion, who's done this work and whether it's made a difference," Mr Giles said.

"There are important questions related to the government's work on social cohesion that it has not answered and refuses to answer; it appears millions of dollars have been spent on outsourcing for a 'Strategic Communication Activities in Support of Social Cohesion' - it's entirely unclear why, and what, if anything, has been achieved.

"Is this just another rort - to join sports rorts, car park rorts and so many other sorry examples?"

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced in March the government is considering adopting a National Anti-Racism Framework in conjunction with its Australian Values campaign.

"I am undertaking a comprehensive consultation program as we develop Australia's new social cohesion strategy," Mr Hawke said in a March statement.

"The Morrison government remains committed to continue building on existing successful arrangements, in order to ensure Australia remains the most successful multicultural country in the world.

"We condemn racism for which there is no place in our cohesive, multicultural society.

"The government is investing heavily in Australia's social cohesion, including $63 million in the 2020-21 budget for measures to keep Australians together."

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