The AWU's Sydney and Melbourne offices were raided by the police on October 24, 2017 as part of the Registered Organisations Commission's (ROC) investigation into donations made by the union over a decade ago when it was led by current Labor leader Bill Shorten.



Media arrived 15 minutes before the union received a phone call advising that a warrant had been issued.

“It was only literally when our officials ran outside the front of the building they noticed a TV scrum formed out the front,” Daniel Walton, the national secretary of the AWU, told BuzzFeed News. “And a number of journos said to us 'We’re here because the AFP is about to execute a raid on you'.



“That news started breaking on TV fairly quickly, then the ROC tried to ring me to tell me the AFP were coming down. I think they panicked when they saw it on TV. So despite this meaning to be a big secretive thing, we were told by the journalists before the police arrive."

TV reporters began crossing live into news bulletins from outside the union's offices before police attended the scene, and continued for hours as the search warrants were executed.



The following day, October 25, then employment minister Michaelia Cash denied five times in Senate Estimates that her office leaked the information. Cash said her office was not informed about the raids until they had begun.

"I found out as it unfolded on the television after I returned from a meeting yesterday about 4.45pm on the ABC," Cash said. "My understanding was that a phone call was made to my office once the search warrant was issued just before I saw it on the television ... 4.30, 4.45pm."

Cash said she had "full faith" in her staff.



DOUG CAMERON: Can you assure the Senate that no-one in your office called any media outlets about 3.30 yesterday?



MICHAELIA CASH: Yes I can and quite frankly I am offended on behalf of my staff as to those allegations. They are very serious allegations. CAMERON: They are questions. CASH: They are very serious allegations and I refute them.

Later that day BuzzFeed News broke the news that a staff member in Cash's office had given a tip-off to the media ahead of the raids. Cash's senior media adviser David De Garis resigned an hour later.



Cash returned to estimates to say she had been advised that "without my knowledge" a single staff member in her office found out from a "media source" about the raid, and then told journalists.

In February BuzzFeed News revealed that a journalist claimed they also received a tip-off from then justice minister Michael Keenan's office.

Keenan confirmed last year that he was advised by the AFP prior to the search warrants being executed at the two union offices.

"The AFP advised my office of the intention to execute search warrants immediately prior to them being executed, as is usual practice," Keenan said.



As justice minister he was in charge of the AFP, and under the AFP's national guidelines it is required to inform him when it refers politically sensitive matters. The AWU raid was referred to the AFP by the ROC.

"Again, in line with usual practice, my office briefed the prime minister's office as the search warrants were being executed," Keenan said.