Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bonner for his question. It is true that Australian workers do deserve the highest levels of probity in the management of the union movement. The royal commission does create the opportunity to root out corruption in the union movement. Let's put this in perspective. Even after the scandals involving the HSU were public, Kathy Jackson described this scene at the 2011 HSU council meeting in Sydney:

There would have been 900 delegates … I kid you not … This is after I went to the police … (Michael) Williamson got a standing ovation … they played the Rocky theme when he walked in … there were people heckling me and screaming at me and … Marco Bolano … that I was a traitor to the movement … people were calling out 'Judas' from the crowd … this went on for … hours.

It is that level of delusion in the union movement that the royal commission will help root out so that Australian workers get representation from their union leaders that is genuine and real, and not the kind of scandalous grubbiness that we saw in the HSU.

But what is standing in the way of being able to achieve this? What is standing in the way is the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition is opposing the royal commission. He is opposing the Australian Building and Construction Commission being reoriented. He is opposing the Registered Organisations Commission. But, also, yesterday he refused to do what he himself did. Yesterday he apologised and withdrew for saying something was untrue in this place about Senator Ronaldson, but he will not require the same of Senator Conroy. What is good for him should be good for Senator Conroy—what is good for the goose should be good for the gander. Why can't he do it? Because he is the factions' choice, not the people's choice.

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