Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

This proposal is about the oppo­sition's appalling attempts to interfere in and politicise an independent inquiry by Fair Work Australia into the Health Services Union. Fair Work Australia is currently investigating possible irregularities in the financial accounts of the Health Services Union. These investigations are ongoing and, I stress, completely independent from the government. I find it entirely inappropriate that the Senate is debating an ongoing investigation by an independent authority and that the opposition is labelling it a debacle.

It follows opposition attempts in estimates to pre-empt and compromise an appropriate outcome by exposing details of the investiga­tion. It would be entirely inappropriate for the parliament to second-guess Fair Work Australia or to interfere in any way. The allegations being investigated are serious. These are public servants—professionals—trying to do a job which can only be done without political interference. The govern­ment recognises that it is import­ant that unions and employer organisations remain accountable to their membership for how the funds of the organisations are expended. These are important matters. But I stress that the provisions in the Fair Work Act remain the same as those which were introduced under the current Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott.

There are financial reporting requirements set out the Fair Work (Registered Organisa­tions) Act 2009. These are modelled closely on laws applying to company directors in corporations law and are the same now as they were when introduced by Tony Abbott when he was the minister for workplace relations. Let us be clear here: these laws are the same as the laws of the coalition.

On another matter of consistency, I note the former Prime Minister John Howard's attitudes to similar matters. When he was questioned regarding three MPs facing investigation back in 2007 by the AFP, his response was:

A lot of people who are under investigation end up having nothing to answer for.

It is a police investigation and the appropriate thing for me to do is to let the police investigation run its course and then, if it is appropriate, I will have something to say.

The opposition's actions here are quite absurd. One day they baselessly accuse the government of interference, and the next day they demand intervention. On the matter of interference, the government has nothing to hide. There has been no interference in any way by the government in this matter. A detailed account has been given which the coalition has chosen to ignore. If the opposition has any evidence backing up their claims they should provide it, not simply refer to one person or another.

Senator Brandis interjecting—