George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Tuesday, 1 December, I was asked a question by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate concerning the execution of a search warrant on the home of Mr Brough, and I undertook to get back to her with further information.

The primary question was:

I refer to guidelines issued by the Australian Federal Police for search warrants, which state:

'All matters where the execution of a search warrant may have politically sensitive implications (not limited to fraud) should be raised with the Minister responsible for the AFP …'

When was the Minister for Justice first informed of the AFP's intention to execute a search warrant at the home of Mr Brough? Did the minister inform Mr Brough, and if so when?

The answer that I have been provided by the Minister for Justice is:

As is usual practice, the Australian Federal Police informed the Minister for Justice just prior to it being executed. The Minister for Justice did not inform Mr Brough of the execution of the search warrant.

The first supplementary question was:

Did the Minister for Justice inform his senior minister, the Attorney-General, of the AFP's intention to execute a search warrant at the home of Mr Brough? Was the Attorney-General copied into any brief for the Minister for Justice informing him of the warrant?

I was not informed by the Minister for Justice of the AFP's intention to execute a search warrant at the home of Mr Brough. As is usual practice, the Minister for Justice provided me with an oral briefing after the warrants were executed.

The second supplementary question was:

Did the Minister for Justice inform the Prime Minister of the AFP's intention to execute a search warrant at the home of Mr Brough? If so when, and did the Minister for Justice inform anyone else of the AFP's intention to execute this search warrant?

The answer provided by the Minister for Justice is:

As the Minister for Justice informed the House of Representatives on 1 December, after the warrants were executed, as I would normally do in a matter like this, I informed the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff and the Attorney-General, as the Cabinet Minister in the portfolio.