George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Is the minister aware that last night, in an interview with Tony Jones on the ABC's Lateline, his colleague Mr Bill Shorten was asked:

If the AWU were to set up a slush fund, effectively a re-election fund today which called itself a fund for training and workplace safety, would that be legal?

Mr Shorten replied:

Well, you can't use members' money to engage in the re-election of officials. That would not be appropriate. … But you cannot ever use members' money for purposes other than the advancement of the industrial interests of the members.

Does the minister agree that it would not be appropriate to use members' money to engage in the re-election of officials and that it is wrong to set up a slush fund to do so?