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

Raids over Shorten donations

Original article by Brad Norington, Ewin Hannan, Simone Fox Koob
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 25-Oct-17

Australian Workers’ Union offices in Sydney and Melbourne have been the subject of simultaneous police raids. Australian Federal Police officers executed warrants issued to the Registered Organisations Commission as part of its investigation into donations the union made when Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was the head of the AWU. Police are believed to have seized documents relating to the 2006 and 2008 financial years, including the minutes of AWU meetings. The raids are said to have been prompted by concerns that the documents could be destroyed. The AWU intends to challenge the validity of the warrants in court.

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

Union chief avoids police action over ‘threats’

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 25-Aug-17

The Construction, Forestry Mining & Energy Union has welcomed the Australian Federal Police’s decision not to pursue an investigation against Victorian state secretary John Setka. Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash had asked the AFP to investigate alleged threats made by Setka against Australian Building & Construction Commission staff at a rally in June. A spokesperson for Cash has reiterated her concern about the tone of Setka’s comments.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LAING O’ROURKE AUSTRALIA CONSTRUCTION PTY LTD, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, DE MARTIN AND GASPARINI PTY LTD, PROBUILD CONSTRUCTIONS (VICTORIA) PTY LTD, THE MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA

Jury out on Turnbull security overhaul

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 19-Jul-17

Professor John Blaxland of the Australian National University is among those to have questioned the merits of the Federal Government’s move to create a national security "super-portfolio". Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton will be in charge of the new Department of Home Affairs, which will embrace his existing portfolio as well as agencies such as ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and AUSTRAC. Some members of the Liberal Party’s moderate faction have also expressed reservations about the changes.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, AUSTRALIAN CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF TRANSPORT SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL SECURITY LEGISLATION MONITOR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE

PM to opt for security super agency

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 18-Jul-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears set to go ahead with the creation of a new national security "super-portfolio". The proposed new department, which would be headed by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, would see Dutton assume control of agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and ASIO, along with border protection. The concept does not have total support within the Coalition, with Defence Minister Marise Payne and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop among those to have previously expressed misgivings about the idea.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, GREAT BRITAIN. HOME OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

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