| AFP raids dominate campaign, another candidate out in Fremantle | Good afternoon,
Week two of the campaign is coming to a close with a bang, with Australian Federal Police raids dominating the events of today.
Here's what happened:
1. KEY ELECTION PLAYERS TRADED BARBS OVER THE AFP RAIDS
Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus took point for the Opposition today.
He questioned if NBN Co, which is owned by the Commonwealth, was pressured to investigate leaks from the company. He went on to say the raids "undermine confidence in the independence of the AFP".
The Prime Minister told journalists he first heard of the AFP investigation yesterday.
He then took aim at Mr Dreyfus, and said he should be ashamed for his suggestion that the AFP could be subject to political influence.
Then it was Bill Shorten's turn. He backed Mr Dreyfus, but then outlined the argument Labor was running with.
Mr Shorten said he accepted the AFP's assurance that they acted independently of the Government, but suggested that the Government asked NBN Co to refer the leak to the police.
ICYMI, AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin dismissed claims there was a political influence on the raids.
2. THE AFP ARE CASTING A WIDE NET IN THEIR INVESTIGATION
The ABC has seen a warrant which names Senator Stephen Conroy, staffers, technology bloggers and four major media organisations including the ABC.
It refers to an "unidentified Commonwealth officer" communicating documents relating to the NBN to a Labor staffer "contrary to section 79(6) of the Crimes Act".
The warrant authorises the AFP to access any "storage device... manual, instruction, password or other thing which is needed to gain access".
Why did the AFP raid Labor offices in the first place? Political reporter Matthew Doran has all the answers for you.
3. THE 2016-17 PEFO LEFT KEY NUMBERS AND ASSUMPTIONS UNCHANGED
That's the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook for you acronym haters out there.
The document is the Treasury and the Department of Finance's independent estimate of the Federal Government's budget position.
The deficit forecast for 2016-17 remains unchanged, but it raised the estimate of the current year's deficit by around $100 million since the budget two weeks ago to $40 billion.
4. IT'S ALL HAPPENING IN THE SEAT OF FREMANTLE
The West Australian seat has lost another candidate, this time Liberal Party hopeful Sherry Sufi.
Mr Sufi resigned as the Liberal candidate Friday afternoon. He's made some controversial statements, and didn't appear at campaign events with the Prime Minister when he visited the seat last week.
The Labor Party disendorsed its original candidate Chris Brown in the first week of the campaign.
ELECTION SPOTLIGHT:
Want more politics? Dishonourable Members is an irreverent, behind the scenes look at the theatre that is Australian politics, from the ABC News Parliament House bureau.
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FROM THE DRUM: SIMON TATZ
Songs matter in politics, according to Simon Tatz.
Should there be some INXS for Malcolm Turnbull? Or some AC/DC for Bill Shorten?
COMING UP NEXT: - Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and shadow treasurer Chris Bowen will be on RN Drive tonight. Listen in from 6:00pm (AEST)
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