2017 is a year of big changes for the government. There are reports that there are already plans to remove Attorney General George Brandis from his post by mid-year that could send a massive restructuring by the Turnbull Government.
Reports from the Sydney Morning Herald stated that the Prime Minister is considering creating a Department of Homeland Security based on the model created by the United States. This new department would see a lot of services stripped from the Attorney General’s office as well as the inclusion of Border Protection.
The new department would also close down or take responsibility from the Australian Federal Police as well as Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). The current head of the department would be the government’s most senior conservative and current Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.
Many are calling the move “empire building” while previous Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd both toyed with the idea but thought the transition to the new department would be too difficult and expensive.