Labor has claimed parliamentary privilege over the documents, some of which were seized from Senator Stephen Conroy’s office. “I did not instruct nor request them to do so”, he said.
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“The Prime Minister is embarrassed by the revelations that his flagship project, the signature activity he has taken in public life as a politician, the NBN, I think he is deeply embarrassed. that his incompetence is emerging”, he said.
Fifield today revealed he had been advised by NBN senior management late a year ago that the government-owned enterprise had referred the matter to the AFP after an internal investigation failed to identify the source of the leaks.
“It was quite properly a matter for NBN”. “The important thing to bear in mind is that the Australian Federal Police investigation, the decision to investigate, and the decision to take the steps yesterday, were decisions taken independently by the Australian Federal Police”.
More problematic for Turnbull is that he has fallen another 3 points on the “better prime minister” question in the Newspoll survey.
An article out of the Associated Press (via SBS) wonders how Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull was not informed of the raids and why Communications Minister Mitch Fifield failed to disclose this particular fact to the PM.
Bill Shorten said on Saturday that it was “totally implausible” Fifield would not have told Turnbull or his staff of the investigation. “That is a matter of judgment for him”, he said.
There was no sign of enemy No.1 himself, though Mr Turnbull is also in Sydney on Sunday.
Labor has said it wants answers to why an NBN Co employee took 32 photographs of documents during this week’s Melbourne raids, the ABC reports.
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In a statement, the AFP said it believed it had acted appropriately and in accordance with the law in raids, saying the NBN staff were assisting with document verficiation. “The Government should make clear who they were sent to”, she said. They’re protecting Australia. They’re protecting all of us.
