Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The claim that the royal commission has somehow gone soft on Kathy Jackson is entirely false. It is entirely false. Let me quote. In his submission to the royal commission, counsel assisting identified the allegations against Jackson, including a series of irregular payments, and he submitted that the allegations against Kathy Jackson reveal 'breaches of union rules, arrangements designed to circumvent the law', 'poor governance' and 'lack of transparency', and he said this 'can only be to the detriment of its members'. He concluded that these matters:

… raise serious governance issues at the Victoria No 3 Branch, during the period Ms Jackson was Secretary.

It is difficult to imagine a more inappropriate series of arrangements.

…   …   …

This is no model for a modern or effective union.

Plainly, there was no going soft on anyone, no kid-glove treatment of anyone. What we have seen from this royal commission is a relentless pursuit of union corruption, a relentless pursuit of rorts, rackets and rip-offs wherever they are to be found and a relentless determination to ensure that we have honest, clean workplaces and we have honest, clean unions.

Members opposite cannot help themselves. They simply cannot help defending rorts, rackets and rip-offs. There is not a dodgy union official that they are not trying to defend, except this one—

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