The Abbott government is under pressure to explain why a police operation that included the Australian Border Force involved stopping people for visa checks, prompting a public backlash and forcing the event to be cancelled.
The operation was ridiculed on social media and protesters took to Melbourne's streets. Victoria Police released a statement just before 3pm saying the operation had been cancelled.
Victorian Police Minister Wade Noonan said the operation was supposed to be a standard police one aimed at keeping the public safe, but was cancelled after the "unfortunate and inappropriate characterisation by the Australian Border Force".
Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie lashed out at the prospect of the random visa checks, comparing the Abbott government to a series of police states.
"Joseph Stalin would be proud of Tony Abbott," he said. "Just as East Germany's Stasi would be delighted with the Australian Border Force – why, even General Pinochet would be impressed."
The ABF began in July and reflects the federal government's hardline national security stance. It combined Customs and Immigration functions.
There has been concern that ABF officers have more powers than former department officials, including the power to detain offenders, carry guns and gather intelligence.
Victorian Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton cancelled the measure, dubbed Operation Fortitude, after learning of the "specifics" of the ABF's involvement and the public outrage.
A spokesman for Mr Dutton said "ministers don't direct operational matters". He did not respond to questions over whether he knew about the operation in advance.
Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles said Mr Dutton should "come out of hiding" to explain "the shambles that has seen a cross-agency operation compromised and a key government agency left red-faced".
"This has been incredibly badly handled and Peter Dutton needs to immediately come clean on how this announcement was so botched," Mr Marles said.
Former independent MP Tony Windsor has hit out at the bungled operation, telling ABC radio he had no doubt that some in the Abbott government "hopes that something goes wrong domestically".
Speaking on ABC radio national current affairs program AM, Mr Windsor said the Border Force operation was no mistake, but a "deliberate agenda to create fear in the community".
Mr Windsor said: "I've got no doubt that some of these people in Abbott's government hope that something goes wrong domestically. That they can taunt a Muslim into doing something so that they can say that we're the only ones that can protect you, the Labor party are too weak to protect you, vote for us," he said, adding, "I think that's an extraordinary agenda to go to an election on."
His comments came more than a month after he announced he would consider returning to politics, after the disappointment at the conditional approval of the Shenhua Watermark coal mine on the Liverpool Plains in northern NSW.
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The operation was ridiculed on social media and protesters took to Melbourne's streets. Victoria Police released a statement just before 3pm saying the operation had been cancelled.
Victorian Police Minister Wade Noonan said the operation was supposed to be a standard police one aimed at keeping the public safe, but was cancelled after the "unfortunate and inappropriate characterisation by the Australian Border Force".
Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie lashed out at the prospect of the random visa checks, comparing the Abbott government to a series of police states.
"Joseph Stalin would be proud of Tony Abbott," he said. "Just as East Germany's Stasi would be delighted with the Australian Border Force – why, even General Pinochet would be impressed."
The ABF began in July and reflects the federal government's hardline national security stance. It combined Customs and Immigration functions.
There has been concern that ABF officers have more powers than former department officials, including the power to detain offenders, carry guns and gather intelligence.
Victorian Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton cancelled the measure, dubbed Operation Fortitude, after learning of the "specifics" of the ABF's involvement and the public outrage.
A spokesman for Mr Dutton said "ministers don't direct operational matters". He did not respond to questions over whether he knew about the operation in advance.
Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles said Mr Dutton should "come out of hiding" to explain "the shambles that has seen a cross-agency operation compromised and a key government agency left red-faced".
"This has been incredibly badly handled and Peter Dutton needs to immediately come clean on how this announcement was so botched," Mr Marles said.
Former independent MP Tony Windsor has hit out at the bungled operation, telling ABC radio he had no doubt that some in the Abbott government "hopes that something goes wrong domestically".
Speaking on ABC radio national current affairs program AM, Mr Windsor said the Border Force operation was no mistake, but a "deliberate agenda to create fear in the community".
Mr Windsor said: "I've got no doubt that some of these people in Abbott's government hope that something goes wrong domestically. That they can taunt a Muslim into doing something so that they can say that we're the only ones that can protect you, the Labor party are too weak to protect you, vote for us," he said, adding, "I think that's an extraordinary agenda to go to an election on."
His comments came more than a month after he announced he would consider returning to politics, after the disappointment at the conditional approval of the Shenhua Watermark coal mine on the Liverpool Plains in northern NSW.
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