Labor calls for Cash to stand down

The federal opposition wants Employment Minister Michaelia Cash to stand down as police investigate the leaking of information about raids on two union offices.

Minister for Employment Senator Michaelia Cash

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash is facing another grilling over the leaking of information. (AAP)

Labor has called on federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash to stand aside after she refused to answer questions about the leaking of information about police raids on two trade union offices.

Senator Cash told a Senate committee in Canberra on Friday she was not personally under investigation and could not comment on other matters under investigation by the Australian Federal Police.

"If the minister claims that she cannot answer any questions about the AFP criminal investigation which clearly centres on her office then she must stand aside immediately," Labor's employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor said in a statement.

In October, Senator Cash repeatedly denied her office was responsible for informing the media of the raids.

It later emerged her senior media adviser resigned after informing journalists of the raids on the Sydney and Melbourne offices of the Australian Workers Union.

Federal police officers executed the warrants, which had been sought by the Registered Organisations Commission to ensure documents weren't tampered with or destroyed.

The commission is investigating $200,000 in donations made by the AWU, including $100,000 given to activist group GetUp in the 2005/06 financial year while now-Labor leader Bill Shorten was the union's secretary.


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Published 1 December 2017 10:20am
Source: AAP


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