Your noon Briefing

Welcome to your noon roundup of what’s making news and how the day has played out so far.

Hello readers. Here is your noon digest of what’s making news today plus a long read for lunchtime.

Australian Council of Trade Unions president Ged Kearney with Brunswick Labor MP Jane Garrett with. Garrett is seeking preselection for Western Metropolitan upper house seat, while Kearney will seek preselection for Brunswick. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Batman returns

ACTU president Ged Kearney is firming to replace senior MP David Feeney, who is expected to announce his resignation today. Mr Feeney is expected to announce his resignation from the inner Melbourne seat of Batman as he faces a High Court challenge over his citizenship. Labor sources say union heavyweight Ms Kearney is the frontrunner to replace him, with some insiders within the party preparing for a by-election to be held as soon as March 24. A by-election in the seat opens up the way for Labor to square off against the Greens, who have preselected social worker Alex Bhathal for the prized seat.

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ASIO agents raid the ABC office.

‘Not a raid’

ASIO agents have entered ABC offices in Canberra and Brisbane this morning to secure thousands of top-secret and classified Cabinet files left inside two filing cabinets sold at a second-hand shop. The ABC reported that ASIO officers arrived at the broadcaster’s Parliament House Bureau and South Bank studios in Brisbane around 1am to secure the hundreds of cabinet documents detailing policy decisions of five governments dating back to John Howard.

“The ABC is working in cooperation with the federal government and relevant authorities to ensure the Cabinet files are secure. ASIO officers delivered safes to ABC offices in Canberra and Brisbane overnight. This was not a raid.”

Gaven Morris, ABC News director

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Paul Oosting and Alice Drury from Get up appearing at a Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, an Inquiry into and report on all aspects of the conduct of the 2016 Federal Election and matters related thereto, at Parliament House in Canberra.

GetUp! ‘wipeout’

GetUp! has warned it would be wiped out by new electoral laws, as the nation’s charity sector conceded “thousands” of its members were violating current rules by failing to report political expenditure. GetUp! national director Paul Oosting told a parliamentary committee that a proposed bill ­requiring donors to provide statutory declarations when donating more than $250 a year would choke the organisation’s revenue stream and impose an unmanageable administrative burden. “It would simply wipe out ­organisations like GetUp!,” Mr Oosting told the joint standing committee on electoral matters, which is examining the Turnbull government’s proposed crackdown on foreign donations.

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SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS SPECIAL. NO NEWS.COM NO WEB TILL MIDNIGHT. PLEASE TALK WITH ST PIC ED JEFF DARMANIN BEFORE PUBLISHING. Pictured is Craig McLachlan in Sydney today. Picture: Tim Hunter.

‘No wrongdoing’

The set of popular TV series The Doctor Blake Mysteries may have been the scene of bawdy jokes and crude behaviour but an investi­gation into misconduct alle­gations against the show’s star, Craig McLachlan, has found no evidence of wrongdoing. Production company December Media commissioned an independent inquiry from workplace consultant Pax People. “Throughout the course of the investigation, there were no findings of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or workplace bullying by Craig McLachlan or any other person on Doctor Blake,” said the report cited by the Herald Sun. Among the claims made against him, the actor was accused of dry humping a camera assistant on the Doctor Blake set. December Media suspended pre-production plans for new episodes pending the investigation.

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Indian staff working at a call centre in Gurgaon on the outskirts of New Delhi, 05/12/2008.

Local hero

Robert Gottliebsen reports on a David and Goliath tale that has crossed his desk that gives him hope that the technology revolution that is ahead might not be completely dominated by the US giants. “Occasionally we may get a look in,” he writes. “But I must warn all those reading this story that our local small-time hero has a balance sheet that carries an ‘R’ rating.”

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OCTOBER 17, 2000 : Victorian Minister for Major Projects John Pandazopoulos in Melbourne aboard pony Cudgee led by Ron Walker as 2000 World Polo Cup launchedat Crown Casino. Pic Alan Funnell.

The long read: Ron Walker, Champion for Melbourne

John Ferguson examines the life of the late Ron Walker, who died on Tuesday aged 78, after a stubborn, years-long battle with cancer. Walker was a big-picture visionary known for years as “Mr Melbourne” who played a key role in national and international political and sporting affairs. Walker, Ferguson writes, was a conundrum, never easy to read and with his motives often under question as he managed a property-based $1 billion investment portfolio, a close relationship with the Liberal Party and high-profile public positions that ranged from the Grand Prix to major events and the arts.

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Comment of the day

“When I was in the army, anyone losing or even leaving unsecured a single document classified as ‘confidential’ would be subject to severe punishment ... I don’t care who is responsible. Heads must roll.”

Bernie, in response to ‘ASIO enters ABC offices over Cabinet files security lapse’.