It came during a line of questioning from Labor senator Murray Watt, with interjections from Liberal senator Ian Macdonald:

Watt: Will you rule out minister Cash as also having committed an offence? Macdonald: Here comes a headline. (laughs) Close: Senator again, it's not in the public interest for the AFP to answer the question on the grounds that it may prejudice the ongoing investigation of a possible breach of law? Watt: So you can't rule out that minister Cash has committed an offence here? Macdonald: Oh, dear. Colvin: Chair, we did at the last hearing make a public interest claim. The claim was upheld by the committee. Do we need - is the process that we need to do it again because we just simply cannot answer these questions. Watt: No, I am happy to take that, I'm not going to press the point. But, I obviously - it won't surprise you that I have a range of questions and where it's appropriate to answer them I'd appreciate those answers.

BuzzFeed News revealed last year that jobs minister Michaelia Cash's office had tipped off several media organisations about the raids. In February a journalist claimed they received a phone call from then-justice minister Michael Keenan's office informing them of the raids before they took place.



The raids were part of an investigation by the Turnbull government–established watchdog, the Registered Organisations Commission, into donations made by the union over a decade ago, when it was led by current Labor leader Bill Shorten.



Cash denied her office had had any involvement in the leak five times in Senate Estimates last year, before announcing her senior media adviser was behind it and had resigned.

The AFP will not reveal the identities of those it has spoken to or whether it has interviewed Cash, Keenan, or any other ministers.



"Over dozens" of people have been interviewed, Close said.

But when pressed by Watt about whether they had briefed the government about the status of its investigation, Close did concede that there had been contact with ministers in the context of interviews.

Cash told BuzzFeed News in March that she had not spoken to the AFP but has refused to answer questions since.