Accusations immigration officials misled ministers over failed tech upgrade

Checkpoint · Jun 16, 2026 · 9m

There are accusations immigration officials misled ministers, deliberately withheld information and used creative accounting to avoid scrutiny of a failed technology upgrade that blew through tens millions of dollars before being mothballed. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford today launched a scathing take down of her Ministry off the back of a report detailing a litany of expensive mistakes in the biometric project. MBIE is the Ministry responsible, and chief executive Nic Blakeley spoke to Lisa Owen.