Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The question that the Registered Organisations Commission is investigating, as is its duty, is whether members' money was paid to GetUp! without authority. That's the question. That's what it is seeking to investigate. You would think that, the moment the ROC inquired, the union would have said: 'Of course, it was fully authorised. Here are the minutes. Here's all the evidence.' But, no, the union has done everything it can to obstruct the investigation, and the opposition is doing everything it can to support the AWU in obstructing that investigation.

What we're talking about here is $100,000 of members' money. Was it paid with authority or not? If it was, then let's hear why it was paid. Let's see the evidence. Why won't the Leader of the Opposition and the union produce the evidence? Why are they surprised that people are starting to believe that it was not paid with authority; it was paid in an unauthorised way? Why do they imagine that people wouldn't think that, given the opportunity to provide the evidence has been given but it has not been provided?

The ball is very much in the court of the AWU and the Leader of the Opposition. Where is the evidence that this money was paid to GetUp! with authority? It's pretty basic. Looking after members' interests, looking after members' money, putting members first, doing the right thing by the workers—these are all the things that the Leader of the Opposition has claimed he did. We know about the penalty rates he traded away again and again. But this is cold hard cash—$100,000. Was it given to GetUp! with authority or not?

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