Shadow AG: Government Has A Great Deal Of Explaining Over AFP Labor Raids

The Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has said that the Government has a great deal of explaining to do over the raids on ALP staffers and offices in Melbourne.

Mr Dreyfus said “All Australians are right to be concerned about the appearance of a raid being conducted on a Labor senator’s office and on the homes of Labor staffers in the second week of a campaign.”

The Shadow Attorney-General has also raised concerns over whether proper procedures had been followed because the Government is in caretaker mode. He also suggested that there appears to be double standards over the conduct of the AFP.

In a media release this morning the Australian Federal Police said the raids were the subject of a referral from the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co), received by the AFP on 9 December 2015. This investigation has been ongoing since that date.

“The federal government and opposition were appropriately notified and advised of operational activity regarding this matter after it commenced yesterday.”

“This investigation has been undertaken independent of government, and decisions regarding yesterday’s activity were made by the AFP alone.”

Bill Shorten has said the documents at the centre of the raids date back to embarrassing time for Mr Turnbull when he was the minister in charge of the NBN Co.

Anthony Albanese told Channel Nine earlier this morning on the staffers used to work for him. 

“Well, it is quite extraordinary that the Australian Federal Police left this staff member’s home just half an hour ago. What that means is that it has been quite an extraordinary raid, over an extensive period of time, in extraordinary circumstances during an election campaign.”