"I will be vindicated"... Craig Thomson outside his home today. Credit:Nick Moir NSW police obtained the warrant on behalf of the Victorian police, who are investigating allegations that Mr Thomson improperly used Health Services Union funds to spend on prostitutes, air travel, entertainment and cash withdrawals in excess of $100,000. Shortly after 10am about eight officers walked out of Mr Thomson's house with a five large sealed boxes of material. Police are now executing a search warrant on Mr Thomson's electoral office in nearby Tuggerah. Detective Sergeant John Tyquin from the Victorian police fraud and extortion squad was one of half a dozen officers who searched Mr Thomson's house.

House raided ... Craig Thomson pictured in his home today. Credit:Nick Moir Mr Thomson said he had done ''nothing wrong" and that today's raid was merely part of a broader investigation into the union's national office. He said he had volunteered documents to the police and that they were professional and courteous as they went about executing the search warrant. Mr Thomson's lawyer, Chris McArdle, said the police were not supposed to be a public relations agency for those in politics with an interest in seeing Mr Thomson fall. A police officer outside Craig Thomson's home. Credit:Nick Moir ''The police are an independent statutory force with an objective to investigate matters,'' he told the National Times.

''They are not a public relations agency for political parties. People should not use the independent force as some sort of stunt squad,'' he said. NSW Police released a statement saying: "It is not our policy to alert media to such activity and no officer from NSW was authorised to do so." Victoria Police also questioned how media knew about the raids. Detective Superintendent Brett Guerin of Victoria Police's serious crime operations said he was outraged that information about the joint raids with NSW Police had been leaked. "Victoria Police is very conscious of the high-profile nature of this investigation and has been resolute in the information they have provided to the media. I would love to know how the media knew what was happening," he said.

Mr McArdle said his client would eventually be cleared. ''He's not going to be charged with a criminal offence and he's going to win the civil case, end of story,'' he said. Mr McArdle said his client was being hounded only because his vote mattered in a hung Parliament. ''This is a person whose life has been trashed. If the government had a majority of five seats, no one would have ever heard of Craig Thomson except his constituents,'' he said. In May this year, Mr Thomson declined a request from Victorian police to nominate the people he claimed had tried to frame him by setting him up with prostitutes.

Last week Fair Work Australia announced it had launched a civil prosecution of Mr Thomson in relation to the misuse of union funds. FWA's statement of claim alleges 25 breaches of union rules, which carry no penalty, and 37 further breaches which are punishable by fines of up to $6600 each. FWA is also seeking to pursue Mr Thomson for more than $200,000 of union funds which it is claimed he spent getting himself elected to the seat of Dobell, on prostitutes, cash advances and air travel for his former wife. Mr Thomson was national secretary of the HSU from 2002 until 2007 when he was elected to Parliament. Earlier this year he was suspended from the ALP. Mr Thomson has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Speaking to reporters in Adelaide, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the raid raised ''very serious matters'' for Prime Minister Julia Gillard. ''Yet again it is the Prime Minister's judgment which is in question because for months, indeed years, she kept saying that she had full confidence in Craig Thomson. She now needs to explain how she could say that, given what is coming out now into the public arena.'' Mr Abbott said Mr Thomson's vote was ''tainted''. ''It is tainted vote which is absolutely crucial to this Prime Minister. This Prime Minister will do whatever it takes to protect herself. She's not interested in protecting Australian families. She will do whatever it takes to protect herself. ''[Mr Thomson] is someone who was found by Fair Work Australia to have grievously misused the money of low-paid union members – and I wish the government had been as diligent about protecting the money of low-paid union members as the NSW and Victorian police have demonstrated themselves to be.''

Appearing alongside Mr Abbott, manager of opposition business Christopher Pyne said Ms Gillard should refuse to accept Mr Thomson's vote. ''We left Parliament two weeks ago mired in scandal. We go back next Monday continuing to be steeped in scandal. If Julia Gillard wanted to restore integrity to the way Australians think about the Parliament, she would announce that she will not accept Craig Thomson's tainted vote.'' Labor senator Chris Evans told Sky News that things had to "run their course". "Obviously these are matters of huge public controversy," he said. Loading

With Phillip Coorey, Nino Bucci and AAP Follow the National Times on Twitter