Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

As I was saying, under this Prime Minister's leadership, Labor has made every effort to hide these allegations.

After the defamation action collapsed, Labor stepped in to pay the member for Dobell's legal bills and presumably struck a deal with Fairfax to suppress further reporting of the matter. Yet the Prime Minister refuses to answer questions on this issue, but the Australian people are entitled to ask: who advised the Health Services Union to inexplicably refer the matter of the misuse of union credit cards to Fair Work Australia? It is inexplicable, as the Attorney-General would know, because it would appear that a matter of fraud should have been referred to the New South Wales Police. What jurisdictions does Fair Work Australia have over a fraud investigation? Perhaps it might make some sense when one realises the connection between officials in Fair Work Australia and the Labor Party.

According to the Health Services Union, this issue was referred to Fair Work Australia more than two years ago yet there has been no progress in terms of a finding. There are many questions that need to be answered about this slow-moving fraud investigation and the Prime Minister has failed to show any inclination to come clean about this matter. It goes to the very heart of the deficit of leadership and the deficit of trust that the Australian people have in this Prime Minister.

We know from Senate estimates that there has been contact between the government and Fair Work Australia about this matter, but the Prime Minister has refused to detail that contact. When asked about it today, she avoided answering the question, so it remains unanswered. These questions will continue to dog the Prime Minister beyond next week, beyond the week after and until parliament returns. Did anyone in the government advise the union to refer the matter to Fair Work Australia? If so, what was the legal basis for that advice? Why was the matter regarding the member for Dobell—this was two years after he was elected as member—referred to Fair Work Australia and not to the police? What has been the nature of discussions between members of the government and officers of Fair Work Australia? This investigation has been going on for two years. It has been reported that the general manager of Fair Work Australia is a factional ally of the Prime Minister and was appointed by this government in 2009 to be responsible for Fair Work Australia.

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