Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

Yet Senator Wong comes in here, so sanctimonious, claiming that she is so clean. She claims that she is the upholder of all these great standards yet she was the great defender of Craig Thomson and the great defender of Michael Williamson.

If we want to go into people's history before they entered parliament, let us have a look at the corrupt dealings of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, of which Senator Wong used to be an official. Let us put her in the stand and ask her what she knew about the corrupt dealings of the CFMEU when she was an official of it. We on this side of the chamber say that there is possibly something to explain, but not before the Senate, because this was a period before she was a senator or a minister of the crown—albeit we would love to hear an explanation from Senator Wong about all of her activities in the CFMEU.

Clearly, Senator Sinodinos has given a proper, full, detailed, honest explanation to this chamber. Above and beyond that, as important as Senator Wong is, and as bloated as she is with her own self-importance—

Honourable senators interjecting—