The Federal Police Are Raiding Parliament House Over The NBN Leaks
Sadly the raids aren't related to the terrible state of Australia's internet.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are raiding the Department of Parliamentary Services offices in Parliament House, Canberra. Sadly, the raid doesn’t relate to the slow roll-out of the NBN or the generally terrible state of Australia’s internet, but is part of an ongoing investigation into leaked NBN documents. It’s incredibly rare for the AFP to raid Parliament and given the highly controversial nature of the NBN, today’s events are likely to result in a political firestorm.
According to Labor Senator Stephen Conroy, the AFP are attempting to access email servers used by Labor staffers. During the election campaign the AFP raided Senator Conroy’s Melbourne office and the home of a Labor staffer. The raids related to the leaking of confidential information from NBN. Labor was furious about those raids and claimed that the leaked documents were held under parliamentary privilege, prohibiting the AFP from accessing them.
Senator Conroy is even angrier about today’s raid. “What we are seeing here is an attempt to intimidate people to not actually do their parliamentary privilege…This is an absolute abuse of the process,” he told the ABC. Bizarrely the AFP gave hours of advance warning before conducting the raid.
Do the cops give drug dealers three hours notice before a raid?
— Adam Gartrell (@adamgartrell) August 24, 2016
The AFP entered Parliament through an underground entrance regularly used by staff. ABC journalist Frank Keany has been live-tweeting the raids.
Two AFP investigators have arrived at an underground entrance. “No comment” says one of them, out of the view of TV cameras
— Frank Keany (@FJKeany) August 24, 2016
Media not allowed to film proceedings apparently. But we’re allowed to follow regardless
— Frank Keany (@FJKeany) August 24, 2016
We’re being asked by security to disperse if we are filming.
— Frank Keany (@FJKeany) August 24, 2016
There’s now an odd stand off. 17 journos and crews here. AFP, DPS and Conroy’s office stand awkwardly
— Frank Keany (@FJKeany) August 24, 2016
The leaked documents that sparked the raids exposed a number of cost blowouts and delays relating to the rollout of the NBN. Some journalists have argued that leaks like this are in the public interest and an AFP investigation into what is effectively whistle-blowing risks undermining our democracy.
With parliament returning for the first time since the election next week, the raids are likely to put both the NBN and the AFP’s handling of the investigation back into the public spotlight.