Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is it not the case that Mr Dyson Heydon would not have to sit in judgement of his own bias tomorrow if the Prime Minister finally stopped the chaos, showed some leadership and withdrew Mr Haydon's commission?

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

Again I rise in this parliament to defend the professionalism and the impartiality of a distinguished Australian who was a distinguished judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal appointed by the then Labor government—

Ms Claydon interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Newcastle.

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

and a distinguished judge of the High Court of Australia, appointed by the then coalition government.

Ms Claydon interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Newcastle is warned!

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

He has given distinguished service to our country and he continues to give distinguished service to our country, exposing the rorts, the rackets and the rip-offs that have been covered up for too long inside the Australian trade union movement. Sadly, this question from the shadow minister shows yet again that members opposite are not interested in Australian jobs—they are only interested in protecting dodgy union officials and appeasing the Greens. There have been some overnight statements, and I do not want to unduly detain the House by repeating things that I have said to the House before, but let me read from the president of the Law Society of New South Wales:

The Society is concerned at the personal attacks made on Justice Dyson Heydon.

Dyson Heydon is an eminent former judicial officer and a current Commissioner and is well respected in the community.

The president of the Law Society of New South Wales goes on to say:

There are appropriate ways to deal with accusations of bias, they are through an application to the Commission or an appeal to the Federal Court of Australia.

Members opposite know the rules—they know the appropriate way to deal with any problem that they might think exist with any presiding officer, and I say to members opposite: just for once, do it the right way—stop smearing a distinguished Australian and stop trying to cover up rorts, rackets and rip-offs. Stop running a protection racket for dodgy union officials.