Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That standing order 47(c)(i) and so much of other standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Manager of Opposition Business from moving the following motion forthwith:

(1) The House notes that

(a) the Hon. Dyson Heydon AC QC has agreed to speak at a Liberal Party fundraiser on Wednesday, 26 August 2015 at Castlereagh Boutique Hotel in Sydney;

(b) the invitation to the Liberal Party fundraiser states that 'cheques should be made payable to the Liberal Party of Australia, New South Wales division'; and

(c) the invitation also states 'all proceeds from this event will be applied to state election campaigning'.

(2) Accordingly, the House declares that, by his own actions, Dyson Heydon has disqualified himself from conducting the Prime Minister's royal commission into trade unions.

He is conflicted! He is biased! The royal commission is a farce!

Dyson Heydon is in a position now where he cannot remain in that role, and the sham, which we have said for so long that this royal commission was, has now been found out and exposed. To have somebody who the Prime Minister held up as allegedly being impartial and now to have a situation where he is promoting the Liberal Party, being the guest, the drawcard, for a Liberal Party fundraiser is an absolute disgrace. Those opposite are afraid of this debate. Those opposite want to shut this debate down. But the people know bias when they see it, and the Australian people will understand exactly what is going on—a royal commission reeked in bias, a royal commission completely conflicted.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

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