Home affairs minister stands by his man

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has stood by his departmental secretary who controversially revealed details of a proposal to covertly vet potential migrants overseas.

Mr Dutton said Michael Pezzullo's revelation of details regarding the proposed scheme to The Daily Telegraph - while the scheme was still being canvassed - was entirely in order but that further policy decisions or announcements were a while away.

"He is the secretary of the department. He is perfectly entitled to speak to our policy, to our beliefs, to the government of the day's program," Mr Dutton told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.