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AFP responds to leaked internal memo on resourcing – politics live | AFP responds to leaked internal memo on resourcing – politics live |
(35 minutes later) | |
8.38am BST | |
08:38 | |
I’m transcribing as quick as I can, but Brendan O’Connor was speaking exceptionally fast, so it is a little heavy going. | |
Here is a bit more. | |
I am afraid to say, as a result of today, it is clear now that the government is using the power of the state and using taxpayers dollars to attack its political opponents. Nothing has changed since the conduct of the royal commission, this is just a continuation of the same approach by this grubby prime minister, this loser of a prime minster, who when he can not control his own government, when he can not develop any policies he calls the police.’ | |
He goes on. | |
Let’s look at the history of this government, the royal commission called three Labor leaders, it has never happened in our history, since federation, two prime ministers and a Labor leader called to two royal commissions. And now, we have a situation where we have a registered organisation commission established–what is their first public act? To raid the union offices of the AWU in an attempt to attack them. In an attempt to smear federal Labor and its leader. Now, indeed the prime minister does have questions to answer. He needs to explain what he knew about these raids, what he knew about the role of the commission and indeed the minister, who of course who is responsible for oversight of this commission, the minister for employment must explain exactly the role she had in these raids, because it is quite clear now that if this was a one off I would understand that there might be some skepticism, but it is clear now that there is never an end to the political abuse of Commonwealth agencies by this government. When Malcolm Turnbull is in trouble, he calls the police.” | |
8.25am BST | |
08:25 | |
Brendan O’Connor: | |
What we know is, that the Registered Organisations Commission, a body that was established after the double dissolution has been used by the government, by minister Cash and by the prime minister in an attempt to attack federal Labor and the leader of the opposition. What we know is clearly, as a result of the referral by the minister to the registered organisations commission they have sought to use their coercive powers to deploy police to raid offices to deal with what could be a civil matter at best. Now, let’s look at the pattern of behaviour of this government since it was elected in 2013. They established the royal commission into their political opponents, they summoned three Labor leaders including Bill Shorten to those royal commissions, they had, in sofar as the last royal commission was concerned, they had Bill Shorten in the stand for two days, asking him 900 questions and there were no findings against the federal leader Bill Shorten, and yet this continues. It continues because Malcolm Turnbull when he is under pressure, calls the police. Malcolm Turnbull called the police i relation to senate staff at the beginning of the last federal election, Malcolm Turnbull threatened to call police n the night of the election because he wasn’t happy with the result. Malcolm Turnbull has clearly misused the police. | |
Now today, we of course discovered through senate estimates that there are resource issues with the Australian Federal Police, there are areas that are under resourced to the extent that very serious drug importation crimes are occurring without sufficient resources deployed by the AFP. At the same time that that was uncovered, we have a situation where the government is treating the police as its play thing, using the police to investigate a civil matter, an allegation that was made 10 years ago, about whether in fact money was authorised and provided to a third party. Now it is clear, from anyone watching, any reasonable person, any independent person would be well aware that this is the intervention by the prime minister, an abuse of ministerial power, the abuse of police resources at a time when police should be dealing with far more serious matters. Malcolm Turnbull now must explain what office his office and he played what role his minister and her office played in engaging with the registered organisation commission, a body by the way that federal Labor said we will not support, because it could be used to attack the political opponents of the government. And what has happened? It’s first public foray we see the registered organisation commission was used in a matter in an attempt to attack the federal leader, the federal Labor leader Bill Shorten. Well, we said it was going to be used for base political purposes, it clearly is now being compromised, as a result of the conduct today. As I say, there is a patten of behaviour, a royal commission, a discredited royal commission, we found out the commissioner was raising money for the Liberal party, even so, that royal commission did not find against Bill Shorten after two days of questioning and yet the government is relentless in misusing its powers and misusing the resources of the federal police. | |
8.15am BST | |
08:15 | |
“I think it is extremely politically motivated ... our union has been operating for 130 years ... but they are purely looking at Bill Shorten’s time,” Walton says. | |
Updated | |
at 8.20am BST | |
8.13am BST | |
08:13 | |
“Why is the AFP here today, to raid the union offices in search of a couple of pages of historic minutes from 10 years ago,” ask the national secretary, Daniel Walton. | |
Updated | |
at 8.16am BST | |
8.12am BST | |
08:12 | |
The union says it received notification on Friday that an investigation had been opened but had no warning of this step, calling it “extraordinary”. | |
Updated | |
at 8.15am BST | |
8.11am BST | |
08:11 | |
The union boss Sally McManus describes the raids as “an attack on democracy” and “a sad day for democracy”. | |
Updated | |
at 8.15am BST | |
8.04am BST | 8.04am BST |
08:04 | 08:04 |
“None of these allegations, even if they are true, warrant this conduct,” O’Connor says and ends the press conference. | “None of these allegations, even if they are true, warrant this conduct,” O’Connor says and ends the press conference. |
8.04am BST | 8.04am BST |
08:04 | 08:04 |
O’Connor says “this grubby prime minister is willing to use the police like his play thing” and calls the raids, by a civil regulator, over a matter from 10 years ago “remarkable”. | O’Connor says “this grubby prime minister is willing to use the police like his play thing” and calls the raids, by a civil regulator, over a matter from 10 years ago “remarkable”. |
8.03am BST | 8.03am BST |
08:03 | 08:03 |
O’Connor: | O’Connor: |
This is a civil regulator and yet we have crime fighters raiding offices because of the role of civil regulator … the priority of this government is about deploying police for civil matters … against their political opponents. | |
He says the government treats the federal police as its “play thing”. | |
Updated | |
at 8.11am BST | |
8.01am BST | 8.01am BST |
08:01 | 08:01 |
O’Connor: | O’Connor: |
I saw the raids happening on television, the first I saw of it, was when it was public ... I did not know of these raids until they were happening and I dare say the federal leader did not know. | |
Of course the media knew, because all the cameras were waiting outside two premises … and indeed the government knew. | |
Updated | |
at 8.11am BST | |
8.00am BST | 8.00am BST |
08:00 | 08:00 |
“He beggars belief that this is not a political raid, it beggars belief,” O’Connor says of the commission’s first public act. | |
He says the prime minister needs to explain what he knew of the raids, what his role was and what Michaelia Cash’s role was. | He says the prime minister needs to explain what he knew of the raids, what his role was and what Michaelia Cash’s role was. |
“It is clear now that there is never an end to the political abuse of commonwealth agencies by this government.” | |
Updated | |
at 8.12am BST | |
7.58am BST | 7.58am BST |
07:58 | 07:58 |
He says the raids validate Labor’s decision not to support the Registered Organisations Commission because it believed it would be used against the government’s opponents. | |
He said Labor did not support the ROC “because it will be used for political purposes, base political purposes”. | |
He accused the government of using “taxpayer dollars to its attack its political opponents” and hits out at this “loser prime minister”. | |
Updated | |
at 8.12am BST | |
7.55am BST | 7.55am BST |
07:55 | 07:55 |
Labor responds to AWU raids | Labor responds to AWU raids |
Brendan O’Connor has gone live in a press conference slamming the raids on the AWU offices. | Brendan O’Connor has gone live in a press conference slamming the raids on the AWU offices. |
He is not mincing his words: | He is not mincing his words: |
“Malcolm Turnbull, when he is under pressure, calls the police ... Malcolm Turnbull clearly has misused the police.” | “Malcolm Turnbull, when he is under pressure, calls the police ... Malcolm Turnbull clearly has misused the police.” |
He says it is a “civil matter at best” and calls it “an abuse of ministerial power, an abuse of police resources”. | He says it is a “civil matter at best” and calls it “an abuse of ministerial power, an abuse of police resources”. |
Updated | Updated |
at 8.00am BST | at 8.00am BST |