ROC adviser ‘tipped off Cash chief of staff’ about raids on union

Michaelia Cash’s then chief of staff told police a media adviser with the ROC gave him advance not­ice of raids on the AWU.

Michaelia Cash in question time in the Senate yesterday. Picture: AAP

Michaelia Cash’s then chief of staff, Ben Davies, told police a media adviser with the Registered Organisations Commission gave him advance not­ice of raids on the Australian Workers Union, the Federal Court has been told.

The court heard yesterday Mr Davies named Mark Lee as the source for his advance knowledge of the raids in a statement to the Australian Federal Police.

Mr Lee was also named in a document submitted to the court by the AWU.

Senator Cash’s former senior media adviser, David De Garis, told the court on Wednesday that Mr Davies gave him advance ­notice of the raids.

Mr De Garis said he and an ­adviser with then justice minister Michael Keenan then tipped off the media about the raids by the commission and the AFP on the AWU offices in Melbourne and Sydney in October 2017.

Mr Lee is unlikely to give ­evidence in the proceedings until next week, and his lawyer yes­terday sought to have the court suppress publication of his name.

Judge Mordy Bromberg rejected the application, saying Mr Lee had also been named in a court document setting out the AWU’s grounds for review.

In earlier evidence yesterday, Mr Davies was asked who gave him advance notice of the raids; he declined to answer on the grounds of potential self-incrimination.

Counsel for Mr Davies, Richard Dalton SC, said Mr Davies should not have to answer questions about any advance knowledge of the search warrants executed, or any knowledge he had or involvement in the media being tipped off about the raids.

He said Mr Davies should also not be compelled to answer questions about any communications he had with Senator Cash on Oct­ober 25 and 26 about any advance knowledge he had of the raids and the media being informed.

Opposition workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor said the revelation Mr Lee told Senator Cash’s office about the AWU raids was “more proof of how this government set up, used and politicised an agency to do its dirty work and attack its perceived political enemies”.

“This is a disgrace and a scandal that the government is in up to its neck,’’ he said.

Senator Cash was ordered by the Senate to give a statement yesterday about the apparent inconsistency between the Federal Court evidence of Mr De Garis and her previous statements to the Senate.

Senator Cash said previous evidence she gave to Senate estimates was based on information available to her at the time.