Cash forced to explain union raids evidence

Original article by Ewin Hannan, Tessa Akerman
The Australian – Page: 4 : 13-Feb-19

Following police raids on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union in October 2017, Senator Michaelia Cash told a Senate estimates hearing that no member of her staff had prior knowledge of the raids. However, her former media adviser David De Garis has told the Federal Court that Ben Davis – who was Cash’s chief-of-staff at the time – had informed him of the raids several hours before they occurred. De Garis later resigned after admitting that he had leaked details of the raids to the media.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

No criminal charges for anyone implicated in leaking information in AWU raids case

Original article by Matthew Doran
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 15-Jan-19

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions believes that there is little chance of securing any convictions over media leaks regarding raids on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union in October 2017. An Australian Federal Police spokeswoman says that as there is no prospect of criminal charges, the investigation into the affair will be discontinued. The senior media adviser to former Employment Minister Michaelia Cash resigned over the leak, although Cash herself denied that her office had any knowledge of the leak.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS

‘Human error’: News Corp salaries, redundancy entitlements emailed to staff

Original article by Michael Evans
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 29-Nov-18

News Corp Australia has blamed human error for the leaking of confidential salary information. More than 150 News Corp staffers were inadvertently sent an email which outlined the salary packages and redundancy entitlements of several senior employees of the media group. News Corp later issued a statement advising that three of the employees named in the email are leaving or have left the media group; it also said that one of those named "remains a respected member of the team".

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Cash could face court over raids

Original article by Adam Gartrell
The Age – Page: 9 : 16-Mar-18

Daniel Walton, the national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union, says it will seek to subpoena Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash to appear before a hearing into a police raid on the union’s offices in October 2017. The AWU also wants to subpoena Cash’s former media adviser, David De Garis, who resigned after admitting that he told the media about the raid, as well as the Fair Work Ombudsman’s former media director, Mark Lee. The latter has denied leaking details of the raid to De Garis.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GETUP LIMITED

Exposing sources a ‘slippery slope’

Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 26 : 30-Oct-17

The right of journalists to protect confidential sources of information is under scrutiny in the wake of revelations that a police raid on Australian Workers’ Union offices had been leaked to the media. The Nine Network’s chief political editor Chris Uhlmann says he would never reveal his sources, while the Seven Network’s chief political reporter Mark Riley stresses that there can be no exceptions to the Media Entertainment & Arts ­Alliance’s Journalist Code of Ethics.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GETUP LIMITED

Cash staves off calls to quit, calls in cops

Original article by Phillip Coorey, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 27-Oct-17

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash continues to attract scrutiny over allegations that her office leaked details of a police raid on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union. She has suggested that the Australian Federal Police should investigate the source of the leak, and raised the possibility that it may have been the Registered Organisations Commission. Meanwhile, the Opposition has accused Cash of misleading Parliament after stating that her office was not the source of the leak. Her media adviser subsequently resigned after admitting that he had given the media advance notice of the raids.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN

AWU refusal ‘triggered raids’

Original article by Brad Norington, Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Oct-17

A senior adviser to Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has resigned after admitting that he leaked details of a police raid on Australian Workers’ Union offices to the media. The Opposition has called for Cash to resign after she had told a Senate estimates committee that her office was not responsible for the leak. Meanwhile, Registered Organisations Commissioner Mark Bielecki has told the committee that the police raids were prompted by concerns that AWU document could be destroyed. He also said an ROC investigation into the AWU may not have been needed if the union had complied with a request to provide the documents in August.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, GETUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Leaks on M&A deals on rise despite increased crackdown by regulators

Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 14 : 19-Jan-17

A report from Intralinks shows that three per cent of Australian mergers and acquisition deals were leaked prior to an official announcement in 2015, compared with two per cent in 2014. Globally, the proportion of leaked deals rose from six per cent to 8.6 per cent in 2015. The report also notes that leaks resulted in a global median takeover premium of 53 per cent for target companies, compared with a premium of just 24 per cent for deals that were not leaked. Australia ranks among the three nations with the lowest level of M&A leaks, according to Intralinks.

CORPORATES
INTRALINKS INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

AFP raids Conroy’s office, ALP adviser’s house

Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 9 : 20-May-16

The Opposition’s legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus says an Australian Federal Police raid on the office of senator Stephen Conroy may be unprecedented. Police are believed to have been seeking leaked documents concerning the national broadband network. The raids also included the home of Andy Byrne, an adviser to Labor communications spokesman Jason Clare and a former aide of Conroy during his tenure as communications minister.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Cbus workers charged over CFMEU leak

Original article by Ewin Hannan, Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Dec-15

Former Cbus employees Maria Butera and Lisa Zanatta have been charged with giving misleading evidence to the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption. They allegedly leaked details of the superannuation fund’s members to Brian Parker, the New South Wales secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. Parker may also be charged.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, LIS-CON HOLDINGS PTY LTD, MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURT, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION