Federal Court dismisses ABC’s case, ruling that AFP raid warrant was valid

A search warrant used by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to raid ABC headquarters last June was valid, the Federal Court has ruled.

The public broadcaster commenced legal action after the AFP searched its computer systems in response to ‘The Afghan Files’ – a series of 2017 reports on allegedly unlawful killings by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan  – arguing the warrant was “legally unreasonable”. But today, the court dismissed the case and ordered the ABC to pay costs, in a decision managing director David Anderson said is a “blow” for public interest journalism and the public’s right to know.

The ABC’s offices were raided last year, in the same week of the Annika Smethurst raid