No investigations were made into how Scott Morrison's private text messages with French president Emmanuel Macron were leaked to a newspaper, a Senate estimates committee has heard.
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Under questioning from Labor senator Katy Gallagher, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham and prime minister's department staff confirmed neither the Australian Federal Police nor any government department had investigated the leaks.
The texts, published by News Corp just days after Mr Macron called the prime minister a liar, were meant to show the French leader knew the Australian government had intended to cancel the submarines deal between the countries.
As Senator Birmingham told the hearing he could not explain how the texts ended up in the newspaper, Senator Gallagher said it was clear the PM had leaked them himself.
"Everyone in this room knows the PM or (his office) leaked that text message, everyone in the public service knows, the French president knows," she said.
"The whole of the APS isn't worried about this at all? In that case you must all know it's from the prime minister ... because otherwise you would imagine every security agency ... would come crashing down wanting to examine how the PM's private communications end up in a newspaper."
Senator Birmingham said the government was focused on "the substantive issues" of the submarine contract cancellation, but Senator Gallagher was staggered at the lack of concern regarding the leak.
"Somehow without the government knowing ... this private message lands in the Daily Telegraph two days after the PM is called a liar by the French president, and you don't have an answer for how that happened?" she said.
"It's a pretty serious set of circumstances ... why won't you just acknowledge the prime minister leaked a text message because he was angry at President Macron?"
Australian Associated Press
