Senate Estimates: Michaelia Cash contradicts AFP evidence on AWU raid media tip off

Michaelia Cash has denied she refused to provide a statement to the AFP regarding the media tip-off on the AWU raids.

Senator Michaelia Cash appearing at Senate Estimates at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash has denied she refused to provide a statement to the federal police on the media tip-off on the Australian Workers’ Union raids, as officials revealed her taxpayer-funded legal bill in the case has reached $288,000.

Senator Cash tonight contradicted evidence given by Australian Federal Police officials in Senate Estimates on Monday, declaring she gave federal police investigators all the information they needed.

AFP deputy commissioner Leanne Close said the West Australian senator and Human Services Minister Michael Keenan twice refused to provide a witness statement on the case involving a leak from Senator Cash’s former media adviser David De Garis.

Senator Cash said, when asked to provide a statement on the raids, she referred AFP investigators to a transcript of her comments on the case in Senate Estimates in 2017.

She said the AFP did not ask for further information.

“I was asked to provide a voluntary statement, that was around five months after the execution of the warrants by the AFP on the AWU,” Senator Cash told Senate Estimates.

“I provided a voluntary statement. The best recollection of my events five months after they had occurred was my comprehensive statements and answers provided in Senate Estimates hearings.

“I also note that the AFP came back with no further request for information in relation to the statement I provided.”

Labor senator Murray Watt challenged Senator Cash’s evidence, noting Ms Close on Monday accused the Small Business Minister of twice refusing to provide witness statements.

“I wanted to make sure yesterday I was understanding the AFP correctly. And I then went on to say ‘so neither minister Keenan nor minister cash provided a witness statement to the AFP?’ Ms Close (said): ‘that’s correct’,” Senator Watt said.

Senator Cash said, while she did not give a formal witness statement, she gave the federal police all the information it required.

“That is merely a summation of Ms Close’s evidence. I will need to read Hansard in total to provide a comprehensive response,” she said.

“I can only provide you with my evidence.”

Labor senator Penny Wong said the evidence given by Senator Cash contradicted the advice given by Ms Close a day earlier.

“Is this the standard of cabinet ministers that they don’t co-operate with the AFP?”

Senator Cash responded: “I would also say the request was made on a voluntary basis. I voluntarily provided a statement which set out a comprehensive statement I had made over two days in Senate Estimates”.

Senator Wong accused chair of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, Ian Macdonald, of engaging in a cover up for calling time on the questioning after more than an hour.

“This is a cover up,” she said.

“This is the standard of the Morrison government.”

Ms Close told Senate Estimates on Monday the AFP wanted to speak to Senator Cash and Mr Keenan but they chose not to “as is their legal right”.

Senator Cash’s former chief of staff Ben Davies told the Federal Court on Monday that a then-staffer with the Registered Organisations Commission, Mark Lee, told him in advance about the raids.

Mr Davies said he passed the information to Mr De Garis and they agreed he would tip off journalists.

Senator Cash denies being informed of the planned raids.