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A copy of the search warrant served on NIT this morning. |
Newspaper raid followed complaint from PM's office: AFP
Wednesday, 27 October 2004
CANBERRA: Police today raided the offices of the National Indigenous Times (NIT) in Canberra after a complaint from Prime Minister John Howard's department.
A team of five Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers raided the NIT office in suburban Garran just after 8.30am (AEDT).
"The AFP received a referral from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet relating to the unauthorised disclosure of commonwealth documents," an AFP spokeswoman said.
"Today the AFP executed a search warrant on the work address of the Indigenous Times newspaper and as this is an ongoing investigation it is not appropriate for me to make any further comment."
Newspaper editor Chris Graham said the officers held a warrant to seize two documents, but left with six in total after being on site for about two hours.
Among the documents seized was a cabinet submission on a tougher government approach to Aboriginal welfare, Mr Graham said.
"They got what they were after and more," Mr Graham told AAP.
A spokesman for Indigenous Affairs Minister Amanda Vanstone said he was unaware the raid had taken place.
"That's the first I've heard of it," he said.
The paper has run a series of stories in recent weeks critical of the government's handling of Indigenous affairs, relying on a string of leaked cabinet and departmental memos and letters.-AAP
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