Cop raid the first choice on AWU

THE government body overseeing an investigation into Australian Workers’ Union donations had not formally requested it hand over evidence before applying for a warrant to allow a raid on union offices.

The Registered Organisations Commission instead sent a letter to the AWU and later decided to raid their offices despite the union having in the past complied with demands to produce documents.

But the ROC’s executive director Chris Enright refused to explain why he opted for a raid instead of a formal request for evidence, saying it was “inappropriate to respond any further given the Federal Court proceedings”.

Those claims came in a latenight sitting that saw embattled Employment Minister Michaelia Cash reveal a member of her staff had resigned after admitting to tipping off some media about the raids.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday stood by Senator Cash amid demands from Labor she be sacked over “misleading” statements made to the Senate over the raids.

But Senator Cash said she had not considered resigning, denying her staff “took a bullet” for her, as the investigation into the misuse of union members’ cash blew up in the Government’s face.

In a fiery Question Time, Mr Turnbull lashed Labor Leader Bill Shorten as a “wholly owned subsidiary of the (Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union) … cashed up and powerful, that defies the law”, accusing him of distracting the investigation.

Mr Turnbull said Senator Cash had “acted entirely properly”.

“A minister is accountable for what she says and her obligation is to speak the truth,” he said.

“She was misled, as she said. And once her staff told her the truth and made the admission that he had done the wrong thing, she corrected the record.”

The ROC is investigating allegedly improper payments from the AWU to GetUp! in 2006, when Mr Shorten was in charge, and whether a $25,000 donation to his own election campaign was signed off correctly.

Mr Shorten was a director of the left-wing activist group at the time of the $100,000 donation.

The ROC said the raid was necessary because it had heard from a source that there was a risk evidence would be altered or destroyed, but the AWU will front a Melbourne court today in an attempt to quash the probe.

The leak may be referred to the AFP by the ROC after a request from Senator Cash.

But Labor is demanding Mr Turnbull sack Senator Cash for misleading the Senate and asking him to explain “his involvement, his officers’ involvement and his Government’s involvement”.