Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Special Minister of State and Scrutiny of Government Waste) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to continue my remarks for a period of no longer than one minute.

Leave granted.

Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy President, and I thank those opposite. It is the first week, and I think it is a marvellous gesture. I want to finish on this basis—and I will requote Mr Roozendaal:

I understand the need to reform political fundraising and deal with the challenge of corporate donations, but I am concerned that when you start tampering with the relationship between the union movement and the Labor party it becomes a precursor to eventually dismantling that relationship.

These, as well as my earlier quote about the severing of the financial ties, are the key words. The trade union movement is not prepared to sever these ties. Mr Roozendaal is happy to attack corporate donations but is not prepared to attack union donations. This is dangerous. We are now seeing campaign finance reform potentially being put on the backburner because the trade union—(Time expired)

Question agreed to.