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The Briefing … Michaelia Cash …
Good morning, and welcome to The Briefing.
A staffer in employment minister Michaelia Cash’s office has resigned after admitting to tipping off journalists about Australian Federal Police raids on the Australian Workers’ Union.
BuzzFeed News revealed the staffer alerted journalists from two news outlets to the raids an hour ahead of time to ensure heavy coverage. Yesterday Cash repeatedly denied anyone in her office was involved in the raids, telling a Senate committee hearing that she and her staff “did not find out about the raids until after they were being conducted”. The AFP raids triggered accusations of political collusion and government overreach, with Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus calling the raids “an outrageous abuse of power” and “an attack on democracy”.
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Alex McKinnon, The Saturday Paper