Australian Federal Police raid Melbourne offices of Labor staffers

LABOR’S election campaign has been dealt a blow after the AFP raided the offices of two high-profile party members.

This isn’t news Shorten wanted to hear.

THE Australian Federal Police have raided the offices of Labor staff at the party’s campaign headquarters in Melbourne.

The AFP confirmed this morning that it executed two search warrants in Melbourne as part of “an investigation concerning allegations of the unauthorised disclosure of Commonwealth information”.

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke told ABC last night that the raid was connected to an investigation surrounding leaked confidential documents discussing the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Labor senator Stephen Conroy — who was the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy under the Julia Gillard-led government — is one of the staffers whose offices have been raided.

They have also occurred at the home of a staffer of Labor MP Jason Clare, Andy Byrne, sources said.

Mr Burke said there were allegations that documents had been leaked from the NBN.

Tony Burke confirmed the raids.

Jason Clare’s staffer had his home raided.

“There’s no doubt the leaks that came from the NBN caused immense damage, immense damage to Malcolm Turnbull when they showed the cost blowout of the NBN, the fact it was slower and going to be delayed,” he said, while also raising concerns that previous leaks had not been referred to police.

“The thing that I also know with this is during the life of this parliament ... we’ve asked about leaks from all parts of this government, right through to the National Security Committee of cabinet.”

The allegations were the subject of a referral from NBN Co, received by the AFP on December 9, 2015.

The AFP stressed that the investigation was independent of government, and “decisions regarding the activity were made by the AFP alone”.

“The AFP has received assistance from the NBN Co in this investigation, which included facilitating interviews with a number of NBN Co employees as part of yesterday’s activity,” the AFP statement read.

AFP raid Clare’s Brunswick property. Picture: Jay Town

Police leave Jason Clare’s property. Picture: Jay Town

AFP raid on Brunswick property. Picture: Jay Town

The documents that were leaked showed there to be massive blowouts in cost for the high-speed internet network, while they also revealed the project was drastically behind schedule.

As news of the raid on his staffer’s home broke, Mr Clare had been enjoying a three-course meal at a The Daily Telegraph’s Champions of the West gala in Bankstown.

Both leaders, Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten, were in attendance and addressed the crowd.

Mr Turnbull said the raids were “entirely a matter for the AFP”.

“As you know they operate entirely independently of the government,” he said.

Mr Shorten said he was aware of the “extraordinary development” which he said related to Malcolm Turnbull’s time as communications minister.

“There was a massive blow out in costs of billions and billions of dollars and of course huge delays to the delivery and the rollout of the NBN,” Mr Shorten said.

“We’ll have more to say in coming days.”

Bill Shorten speaking at the Champions of the West gala.

While Mr Shorten took the stage after the news concerning raids of his party’s offices had broken, he first used his time to make an emotional reflection on his encounter with a car crash victim in the Hunter Valley on Thursday afternoon.

The Opposition Leader revealed the first words he said to the woman who was driving the car carrying her son when the head-on collision occurred, and has now been left without a car.

“I said, ‘Accidents happen. But your boy was buckled safely in his seat. You are a good mum,’ and not many parents get to hear that.”