Ex-Cash staffer faces court grilling over AWU raids tip-off
Michaelia Cash’s former chief of staff will be grilled in the Federal Court about raids on the Australian Workers Union.
Michaelia Cash’s former chief of staff Ben Davies will be grilled in the Federal Court today about the source of his advance knowledge of raids on the Australian Workers Union after his lawyers failed in a bid to stop the questioning.
He may also be questioned about discussions he had with Registered Organisations Commission executive director Chris Enright in August 2017, the same month Michaelia Cash referred allegations about AWU donations to GetUp to the commission.
The previously undisclosed discussions between Mr Davies and Mr Enright, who subsequently made a decision to launch the commission investigation, were revealed during Senator Cash’s evidence to the court on Friday.
Senator Cash said she was unaware of the discussions at the time and found out only when a file note of the men’s discussions emerged during the discovery of documents for the court case.
Federal Court judge Mordy Bromberg ordered on Friday that Mr Davies be required to give evidence about any advance notice he had of the raids on the AWU in 2017 and media being tipped off about them.
Mr Davies was also ordered to give evidence about any conversations he had with Senator Cash over two days in October 2017 about the advance notice of the raids and the media being tipped off.
The court heard that Mr Davies told police that commission media adviser Mark Lee gave him advance notice of the raids.
Senator Cash’s senior media adviser, David De Garis, told the court that Mr Davies told him about the imminent raids.
Mr De Garis said he and Michael Tetlow, a media adviser to then justice minister Michael Keenan, then tipped off reporters about the raids.
Mr De Garis resigned after admitting to the leak.
Mr Davies is expected to be questioned by the AWU lawyer for up to two hours today.
Mr Lee and Mr Enright will give evidence later in the trial.
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