1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Former Police Commissioner Andrew cost has finally given his version 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: of events in an interview on Q and A. He 3 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: says he never interfered with emails going into Police Minister 4 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: Mark Mitchell's office, and he says both Mark Mitchell and 5 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: former Police Minister Chris Hopkins knew about the allegations earlier 6 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,079 Speaker 1: than they were admitting, and Mark Mitchell the police Minister's 7 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: with us right now high. 8 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 2: Mitch had wonning Heather. 9 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: Andrew Coster says he did not interfere with the women's 10 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:22,959 Speaker 1: emails coming into your office. Is he wrong? 11 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,479 Speaker 2: Police have confirmed that that protocol wasn't put in place, 12 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 2: and it was put in place by the Commissioner's office, 13 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 2: And it's unfathomable to think that he didn't know about that. 14 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 1: So it wasn't put in place by him, It was 15 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: put in place by somebody else. 16 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 2: In his office, right in his office. Correct. 17 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: Why is it impossible to believe that he didn't know 18 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: about that? 19 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 2: Well, it's his office and the most senior people in 20 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 2: the organizations and they were diverting email traffic from the 21 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 2: minister and he didn't know about it. It just doesn't 22 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 2: seem credible. 23 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: I mean, do you know about everything that happens in 24 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: your office. 25 00:00:58,440 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 2: I like to think that I do. I like to 26 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 2: think if there's any serious matters, and certainly if there 27 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 2: was a if anyone in my office was doing anything 28 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 2: that related to the Commissioner's office, and I'd expect to 29 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 2: be fully briefed on it, know about it, and sign 30 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 2: off on it. 31 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: Yeah. Now he also says that he told you earlier 32 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: last year than you're saying you were told you say, 33 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: six of November, he says earlier. Is he wrong? 34 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 2: There is just there's just absolute utter nonsense. So let 35 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 2: me put some context around this for you. Is that 36 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 2: the first time that I became aware of Miss C, 37 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 2: that she even existed, was on the sixth of November, 38 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 2: when Andrew Costa didn't voluntarily come and brief me. He 39 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 2: was told by the PSC to come and brief me 40 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 2: on the situation between Mick Skimming and Miss C, which 41 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 2: he did. I won't tell you what my response to 42 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 2: him when he briefed me, but I did not buy 43 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 2: or swallow the narrative that was given to me that 44 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 2: Mick Skimming was a victim. I immediately called a meeting 45 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 2: with PSC and the so list of the general the 46 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 2: following day to forward my concerns around the welfare of 47 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 2: Miss C. I am a father of two daughters and 48 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 2: I had been a local MP for fifteen years and 49 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 2: part of my role is protecting people against the power 50 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 2: of the state when they put up against it, and this, 51 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 2: to me was a clear example of that, and I 52 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 2: pushed as far and when as hard as I could 53 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: as a minister to make sure that Miss C was 54 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 2: actually being looked after. 55 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: What made you skeptical about the yarn? The version of 56 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 1: the yarn he was telling. 57 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 2: You, Well, it's I didn't You've got so you've got 58 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 2: a deputy commission that's centered into an extramarital affair where 59 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 2: there's a big age difference, where there's a massive power 60 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 2: and balance, where he created a job for a young woman, 61 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 2: then she gets discarded and then she's sort of bucking 62 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 2: up against the power of the state. I mean, how 63 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 2: could they not see what the issues lying there were? 64 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 2: But it's quite simply the narrative was poor Jebbam skimming 65 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 2: he had an extra marital affair. Now this young lady 66 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 2: is harassing him. Well, why how did she get to 67 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 2: that position? Why was there a degrady and their mental health. 68 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,959 Speaker 2: I mean, why did they not ask these simple questions? 69 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 2: And like I said to my father, I've been involved 70 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 2: in public safety and protecting those and looking after those 71 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 2: that can't protect themselves for most of my adult life, 72 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 2: isn't it. How could they not see it? 73 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: Your timeline, though, has been questioned because when the PSA, 74 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: when the IPCA talks to the PSA about it, the 75 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: PSA gets in touch with your office and tells you, guys, 76 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: this is happening. That was October fourteen earlier than you say. 77 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, that wasn't time. That wasn't any information in relation 78 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 2: to skimming on with Ze at all. That was quite 79 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 2: simply saying that there's a probity check underway on the 80 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 2: appointment of a temporary Commissioner and the IPCID flag to 81 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 2: the PSC, which is the right thing to do during 82 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 2: a probity check, that they had some information there that 83 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: they were assessing, and that they come back to the 84 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 2: PSC and inform them of any further action, if any 85 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 2: was going to be taken. And the PSC informed me 86 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 2: of that, which is the correct thing to do. But 87 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 2: I didn't have any I didn't know the nature of 88 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 2: the complaint. I didn't know any of the details around it. 89 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 2: The PSC came back to the IPCA, came back to 90 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 2: the PSC on the sixth of November and said there 91 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 2: is now an investigation underway. And the PSC then did 92 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 2: the right thing. They came to me. They went to 93 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 2: Andrew Costa and they told Andrew Costa, you need to 94 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 2: go and brief the Minister. Costa didn't come forward voluntarily 95 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 2: to brief me. He was instructed by PC to brief me. 96 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 2: And that is when I found so just let me finish. 97 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 2: That's when I found out about the existence of the 98 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 2: C and that's when I found out about the relationship 99 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 2: between skimming and mis C. And the following day is 100 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 2: when I called a meeting with PSC and Solicitor General 101 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 2: to bring forward my concerns. 102 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: Right, Mitch, listen, thank you so much for your time. 103 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: We have to leave it there, just out of time. 104 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: That's March Thanks to the Police Minister. 105 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 2: For more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 106 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,119 Speaker 2: news Talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 107 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.