AWU cop raid blows up in government’s face

Want to get off your government’s frontbench ASAP? Read Cut and Paste’s handy tips.

Welcome to Cut and Paste’s seven easy steps on how to set your ministerial career on fire. The Australian online, yesterday:

Michaelia Cash’s cabinet colleagues are rushing to her defence, with Social Services Minister Christian Porter declaring “hand on heart” she can survive ...

Step one: Mislead a Senate estimates committee. Michaelia Cash before an upper house committee, Wednesday:

Cameron: Can you assure the Senate that no-one in your office called any media outlets about 3.30 yesterday?

Cash: Yes I can and quite frankly I am offended on behalf of my staff as to those allegations. They are very serious allegations.

Cameron: They are questions.

Cash: They are very serious allegations and I refute them.

Step two: Have a media adviser who leaks details of a police raid to journalists. The Australian, yesterday:

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash faced calls from Labor to resign after it was revealed that one of her staffers leaked word of the AFP raids on the AWU national and Victorian offices before they occurred to two journalists.

Step three: A media adviser who speaks to journalists, who then go and chat to Alice Workman. BuzzFeed Australia’s political reporter, Wednesday night:

BuzzFeed News has spoken to journalists who claim they received a phone call from Cash’s office an hour before the raids, to make sure there would be cameras outside the AWU offices in Melbourne and Sydney.

Step four: Fail to correct your Senate testimony for hours and hours. Cash speaking to estimates, Wednesday evening:

I was not aware of it (the AWU raid leak to media) at the time and was not aware of it earlier today in estimates ... My staff member has now resigned.

Step five: Make a fool of yourself in front of the Prime Minister and tell him the same falsehood. Cash in estimates, yesterday morning:

Cameron: You said yesterday you spoke to the Prime Minister before Question Time. That’s during the lunch break, correct?

Cash: During the lunch break of this committee.

Cameron: You took your media adviser with you?

Cash: Yes, we were in discussions and walked over together.

Cameron: And that was the media adviser who misled you and subsequently resigned?

Cash: That is correct.

So her adviser, David DeGaris, left her hanging at estimates and let her see the Prime Minister without all the facts? Cash, yesterday:

I needed to go and see the Prime Minister to provide an assurance that I had not briefed the media ... I walked into his Question Time briefing, I gave him the assurance ...

Step six: Call the cops to investigate your own office. Cash’s letter to the Registered Organisations Commission, yesterday:

I am writing to inquire what steps the Registered Organisations Commission is taking as appropriate to establish the facts of this matter ... I would ask you to consider ... referring the matter to the Australian Federal Police.

Step seven: Skip the first six steps and just be a dual citizen. The Australian online, yesterday:

The government meanwhile will be holding its breath ahead of the High Court’s 2.15pm ruling (on MPs’ citizenship including Barnaby Joyce) ...