Sacked Australian Border Force boss exchanged 14,000 texts with young lover

Roman Quaedvlieg was sacked yesterday. Photo / News Corp Australia

Sacked Australian Border Force boss Roman Quaedvlieg exchanged 14,000 text messages in a year with his new young lover.

The disgraced chief's staff thought he was sending messages to his goddaughter. However, he was contacting a 25-year-old woman whose first name is Sarah — the same woman who he helped get a job at Sydney Airport despite her inexperience.

It was for this assistance that Quaedvlieg lost his job yesterday — and for the fact that he failed to declare when his personal circumstances changed.

He is now believed to be weighing up his options after the sacking which followed a lengthy investigation into whether he helped his girlfriend get a job.

Governor-General Peter Cosgrove made the decision, on advice from the government, after he modified policies to advantage a candidate for Border Force employment.

His axing came after a 10-month investigation into allegations he helped his partner get a job at Sydney Airport.

After refusing to resign over the findings, Quaedvlieg said he maintained his strong denials.

"I will now take some time to fully consider my options," the former ACT chief police officer said in a statement.

Quaedvlieg pocketed about A$500,000 ($535,000) while on leave during the investigation, remaining on his full pay.

Government frontbencher Michael Sukkar defended the length and cost of the investigation, saying the decision to sack Quaedvlieg was not taken lightly. "Yes I would have liked the investigation to be 10 times faster and have cost 10 times less — of course," Sukkar told ABC radio.

"But in the end due process and undertaking of a thorough investigation to get to the bottom of allegations and actually proving them is very, very important."

Quaedvlieg was also found to have made a "false statement" to now-Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton about his personal relationships, and failed to disclose a significant change in his personal life.

Dutton said his conduct went beyond an isolated error of judgment and ultimately undermined his capacity to continue in the role.

"He engaged in acts, and made omissions, which materially advantaged that candidate over other comparable candidates for ABF employment," Dutton's statement said.