Australian broadcaster reveals hundreds of top-secret files found in old cabinets
The locked cabinets were sold at an ex-government sale in Canberra and span nearly a decade, sparking an urgent investigation into the leak
Hundreds of top-secret and highly classified cabinet documents have been obtained by the ABC following a breach of national security.
The documents, which the ABC has dubbed The Cabinet Files, were found in two locked filing cabinets sold at an ex-government sale in Canberra and span nearly a decade.
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on Wednesday announced an urgent investigation into the leak. Almost all of the files are classified, some as “top secret” or “AUSTEO”, which means they are to be seen by Australian eyes only.
Terry Moran, who was PMC secretary from 2008 to 2011, told ABC’s 7.30 the discovery was a “great surprise” and whoever was responsible for disposing of the cabinets “must be found and sacked”.
The documents detail a number of security breaches including the results of an audit showing that the Australian federal police lost nearly 400 national security files between 2008 and 2013, while Labor was in government. The documents lost by the AFP were from cabinet’s national security committee, which controls Australia’s security, intelligence and defence agenda, deploys the military and approves kill, capture or destroy missions.
The files also reveal that nearly 200 top-secret code-word protected and sensitive documents were left in the office of minister Penny Wong when Labor lost the 2013 election. The 195 documents included plans to protect the United Arab Emirates from Iranian hostilities, national security briefs, Afghan war updates, intelligence on Australia’s neighbours, profiles of terrorism suspects and issues around Australian defence force operations in Afghanistan.
