Fifield Says NBN Management Advised Him Of Federal Police Leaks Referral

The Minister for Communications, Senator Mitch Fifield, says he was advised by National Broadband Network management that leaks of sensitive information had been referred to the Australian Federal Police.

Fifield says he “did not instruct nor request them to do so”.

Text of statement from the Minister for Communications, Senator Mitch Fifield.

Last year there were leaks of commercially sensitive information from NBN.

The senior management of NBN initiated an internal review, which identified matters of concern.

The NBN senior management subsequently referred these matters to the AFP.

I was advised by NBN that the matter had been referred to the AFP. [Read more…]


27 Enrolment Irregularities In Indi Referred To Federal Police

The Australian Electoral Commission has referred allegations against 27 electors in the Victorian division of Indi to the Federal Police.

The irregularities involve suggestions that the electors falsely declared they were eligible to enrol in Indi at the 2013 federal election. Some of the electors are thought to have been students in Melbourne and some are believed to be former residents who had moved away.

Indi was won by Cathy McGowan. She defeated the sitting Liberal member, Sophie Mirabella, by 439 votes. McGowan’s insurgent campaign surprised the Liberal Party, which had represented Indi since 1977. Mirabella held the seat for 4 terms from 2001. The seat had been held by Liberal and Country/Nationals members since 1931. [Read more…]


Truss And Shorten Address Parliament On Shooting Of Melbourne Teenager

The Acting Prime Minister, Warren Truss, and the Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten, have addressed Parliament on the shooting of a Melbourne teenager last night.

The 18-year-old, Numan Haider, was shot dead outside the Endeavour Hills police station. He had used a knife to attack an Australian Federal Police officer and a Victoria Police officer. [Read more…]


Islamic State Beheadings Plot Alleged Following Terrorist Raid Arrests In Sydney And Brisbane

Federal Police raids this morning have resulted in a 22-year old man, Omarjan Azari, appearing in a Sydney court charged with planning a terrorist act designed to “shock, horrify and terrify”.

Azari is accused of conspiring with Mohammad Baryalei, the man described as a “top terrorist recruiter” in Australia. The arrest is one of about 15 resulting from raids across western Sydney and Brisbane. The raids, involving 800 police and described as the largest in Australian history, took place as a result of information gleaned from an intercepted telephone conversation in recent days. [Read more…]