Registered Organisations Commission executive director Chris Enright says AWU raids intended to be low key

The AFP proposed to brief the then justice minister about the execution of warrants on the AWU “hours before they occurred”.

Registered Organisations Commission Executive Director Chris Enright arrives to the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne, Thursday, February 28, 2019. Mr Enright will give evidence in the Federal Court hearing over the lawfulness of police raids on two offices of the Australian Workers' Union. (AAP Image/James Ross) NO ARCHIVING

The Australian Federal Police proposed to brief then justice minister Michael Keenan about the execution of warrants on the Australian Workers Union hours ­before the raids occurred, Registered Organisations Commission executive director Chris Enright has revealed.

In the face of long-running controversy about the media being tipped off ahead of the raids on the AWU, Mr Keenan has ­insisted he was told by the AFP only “immediately” before warrants were executed at 4.30pm on October 24, 2017.

But Mr Enright told the ­Federal Court yesterday that AFP officers told him the police proposed to brief Mr Keenan about the warrants on that day before question time at 2pm.

The court has heard that Mr Keenan’s then media adviser, ­Michael Tetlow, and senator Michaelia Cash’s then senior media adviser, David De Garis, jointly tipped off the media, leading to television crews and reporters being present when the warrants were executed.

After the court evidence by Mr De Garis, Mr Keenan maintained in parliament that neither he nor anyone in his office informed media outlets before the execution of the warrants.

Mr Enright told the court yesterday the commission had wanted police to execute the search warrants in a “low-key” way without the media present.

When he spoke to AWU Victorian secretary Ben Davis about 10 minutes before the warrants were executed, “I started to ­explain to him what I hoped to achieve — a safe, low-key execution of the warrants without the media”.

Mt Enright said Mr Davis “got a bit upset” and told him the media were already outside the AWU offices in West Melbourne.

“(He said) don’t bullshit me and hung up,” Mr Enright said.

Senator Cash’s former chief of staff, Ben Davies, has told the trial that Mark Lee, who was working for the commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman, tipped him off about the warrants.

Mr Davies said he told Mr De Garis, who then told Mr Tetlow. Mr Lee said he spoke to Mr Davies in the hours before the raids but denied telling him about the warrants.

Mr Enright told the court he spoke to commission media officer Greg Russo about the warrants in the 24 hours before they were executed. He said Mr Russo, who was new to his role, asked to brief Mr Lee about the warrants and he agreed. Mr Russo told the court yesterday he spoke to Mr Lee ahead of the raids on an “in confidence” basis.

“I mentioned there may be a search warrant executed and if there was he may receive media inquiries,’’ he said.

On the day after the raids, while appearing at Senate estimates, Mr Enright said he ­received a call from Mr Lee who denied tipping off media.

Giving evidence about his preliminary inquiries into whether the AWU donations to GetUp were properly authorised, Mr ­Enright said the union’s national secretary Daniel Walton had initially indicated he would be happy to provide records of authorisation.

Closing submissions in the trial are set down for next Friday.