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Senate to rule on seized NBN documents: Fifield

A decision on whether ALP emails sought by police investigating leaked NBN information will be left to the Senate, the communications minister says.

Senator Mitch Fifield, Minister for Communications and the Arts speaks at the NBN's corporate plan for 2017 in Sydney, in Sydney, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.
Senator Mitch Fifield, Minister for Communications and the Arts speaks at the NBN's corporate plan for 2017 in Sydney, in Sydney, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Source: AAP

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield says it will be up to the Senate to determine Labor's claim of parliamentary privilege over thousands of documents sought by the Australian Federal Police.

Mr Fifield said on Friday that he expects the Senate to determine whether documents, wanted by the AFP as part of their investigation into leaked confidential NBN information, fall under parliamentary privilege.

"It will be than ultimately be up to the Senate to determine whether the claims of privilege are granted in whole or part," Mr Fifield told journalists during an NBN corporate briefing on Friday.

Federal Parliament will resume on Tuesday following the federal election on July 2.

Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has said he expects all senators to uphold Labor's claim of parliamentary privilege over the documents sought by the AFP.

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The AFP on Wednesday raided the parliamentary office of former Labor communications minister Stephen Conroy and a staff member and examined thousands of emails.

Police later accepted there had been a claim of parliamentary privilege over the documents.


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Source: AAP



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