Andrew Bolt. The Bolt Report/ TwitterProminent conservative commentator Andrew Bolt has unleashed a blistering attack on the federal police raids on union offices this week, saying it appears to be part of a “disturbing pattern” of abuse of state power by the Coalition government.
Bolt, who is known for his broad support of the Coalition on many issues, rounded on the federal government in an editorial on his Sky News TV show last night.
The Australian Federal Police raided the offices of the Australian Workers Union on Tuesday as part of an investigation by the Registered Organisations Commission into Labor leader Bill Shorten’s donations when he was AWU secretary a decade ago.
After denying that either she or any one in her office had any prior knowledge of the raids on the union offices, Employment Minister Michaelia Cash admitted late Wednesday that one of her staffers had helped alert the media to the raids.
Cash was forced to sack the staffer but the Opposition has called for her resignation too.
The moment Michaelia Cash throws her staff member under the bus in #estimates in a last desperate attempt to save her job. pic.twitter.com/f0P5tc2EmT
— Stephen Spencer (@sspencer_63) October 25, 2017
“This now seems part of a disturbing pattern of the Liberals… to use state power against a political enemy,” said Bolt.
“There is also a second issue. It is the Liberals astonishing record of dragging Labor leaders before Commissions which have been created, at least in part, to humiliate them,” he said referencing Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Bill Shorten.
“This Commission (the Registered Organisations Commission) was set up by the government, it was, in fact, investigating Shorten on a referral from the government, and that makes all this look suss.”
He added: “I hate corrupt unions, and, boy, have we had some. But all this seems to be about something else.”
BOLT: I hate corrupt unions, and, boy, have we had some. But something here stinks. The Bolt Report is live now on @SkyNewsAust pic.twitter.com/9D6qCVigLw
— The Bolt Report (@theboltreport) October 25, 2017
NOW READ: Employment minister’s adviser quits, admitting he tipped off media about police raids on union offices
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