Face of Nation : Officers were looking for evidence linked to alleged decade-old donations from the Australian Workers’ Union to activist organisation GetUp!, potentially funnelled into political campaigns used to target the Liberal Party in 2006 and 2007.
Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash referred allegations of possible misconduct to the Registered Organisations Commission in 2017 in what the union argues was a politically motivated witch-hunt against then-opposition leader Bill Shorten. Raids on the union offices in October 2017 made national headlines and dominated political debate for days.
Much of the scrutiny focused on TV crews being tipped off about the raids and arriving at union offices ahead of police. Senator Cash gave evidence in court earlier this year, denying she hoped the investigation would be politically damaging for Mr Shorten, the AWU’s former national secretary.
Former government staffers admitted tipping off media to get the raids filmed, with ex-Senator Cash media advisor David de Garis saying the focus in-part was to make Mr Shorten look bad.
Federal Court Justice Mordecai Bromberg is scheduled to give a judgment on the matter on Friday. His decision on the lawfulness of the investigation had to consider if the commission had the power to investigate the donations.
