The Australian Federal Police have raided the home of a government official in Canberra.Today’s operation follows earlier moves on the home of a News Corp Australia journalist and at the ABC’s Ultimo headquarters in Sydney as the AFP pursues investigations of defence leaks.
The home is owned by Defence Department official Cameron Gill.Mr Gill had been seconded from the department to work in the offices of Turnbull government ministers Dan Tehan and Mal Brough, both of whom occupied defence-related portfolios.
The AFP have declined to confirm whether the raid was targeted at Mr Gill, but the Daily Telegraph this afternoon reported police had been in contact with his lawyer.
“The Australian Federal Police is executing a search warrant in the ACT suburb of Griffith … this activity does not relate to any current or impending threat,” an AFP spokeswoman said.
In a statement, News Corp Australia executive Campbell Reid said the raids were “not intended to intimidate journalists but the people who have the courage to talk to journalists”.
“Today we are seeing that process of intimidation continue.”
Six AFP officers left the house at 2.30pm carrying two large plastic bags of evidence and several hard cases, followed by two more officers 10 minutes later.
Lawyer Kamy Saeedi declined to comment when he left the raided house at 3pm.
The AFP’s raids on News Corp Australia journalist Annika Smethurst, the political editor of the Sunday Telegraphand Sunday Herald Sun, were related to reports in those publications suggesting the Australia Signals Directorate wanted powers to spy on Australian citizens.