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

Labor clung to the vote of the former member for Dobell, the now disgraced Craig Thomson. Now, when did they find out? When did we all find out there was a cloud hanging over the member for Dobell? Well, it certainly was not on 28 April 2012. It certainly was not the day before Labor excluded him from their caucus. In January 2009, even before the 2010 election, Terry Nassios from the Fair Work Commission commenced his inquiry into the HSU's Victorian No. 1 Branch. In January 2009, the Fair Work Commission began its inquiry into the Health Services Union No. 1 Branch, and the stories started appearing in the newspapers about former member for Dobell Craig Thomson.

In fact, we know that in early 2009 Ben Hubbard, the former chief of staff to then Prime Minister Gillard, rang the then Industrial Registrar Doug Williams to inquire into whether they were investigating a Labor MP. So we know that in early 2009 the Prime Minister's office and the Labor Party were aware enough, and concerned enough, that the chief of staff of the Prime Minister contacted—

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