Newly released documents show Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo complimented the AFP for its raid on the home of journalist Annika Smethurst.

South Australian senator Rex Patrick has obtained documents that show Mr Pezzullo telephoned AFP Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan to compliment him.

The exchange is revealed in a subsequent email from Mr Gaughan, saying; “Good work by all involved. I also received a call this evening from the Sec DHA [Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Mr Pezzullo] who is fully supportive of the actions of the AFP and ask [sic] me to pass on my thanks to the team involved.”

“Well done — tomorrow is another day.”

Senator Patrick has questioned the judgment of Mr Pezzullo.

“The contents of the released documents confirm a lack of judgment at the highest levels of Home Affairs where national strategy and security policy is set,” Senator Patrick told the ABC.

“After the raid on Ms Smethurst, alarm bells immediately started ringing for the media, the public, and indeed across government.

“Yet the Secretary of Home Affairs appears to have been blind to public concerns, expressing satisfaction with the raids.”

Mr Pezzullo has responded, telling reporters he was thanking a colleague personally.

“DC Gaughan is a colleague. In the discussion in question, I expressed my compliments to him and his officers on their professionalism and their diligent focus on independently enforcing the laws of the land, as the Parliament has passed them,” he said.

“To conflate the expression of professional compliments to colleagues with a supposed attitude to press freedom is not an accurate comparison.

“As per my evidence to the PJCIS [Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security], I was surprised that Ms Smethurst was under investigation and had put the matter out of my mind until DC Gaughan advised me the AFP was in the process of executing the warrant.”

Senator Patrick said Mr Pezzullo should have noticed the public concern about this particular enforcement of the law.

“I fear Mr Pezzullo is too close to the trees to see the forest, and that's not good for the secretary of a department. Secretaries must be able to stand back and view things objectively from a total public policy perspective.”