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

I can update Senator Smith and the Senate that, since the chamber last sat, the Victorian County Court has ruled on Craig Thomson's criminal conviction for stealing moneys from the Health Services Union. The court upheld the guilty finding against Mr Thomson on 13 counts of theft and fined him $25,000. In his appeal against the year-long jail sentence imposed last year, the appeal judge chastised him for the 'gross abuse of trust involved in his misuse of union funds' and described his 'very serious offending' as 'appalling'. The judge described Thomson's behaviour as 'self-indulgent', 'arrogant' and undertaken with 'no regard for the responsibility imposed in him'. Despite this, Mr Shorten, the Labor Party and the Australian Greens have consistently refused to condemn the actions of Labor's former member, Craig Thomson.

In 2012 Labor and the Greens voted down motions condemning this affront to honest, hard-working Australians. When asked whether he believed Mr Thomson's absurd and dishonest denials, Mr Shorten infamously replied: 'Yes, I believe him.' That would be the alternate prime minister.

I can also update the Senate and Senator Smith that the Fair Work Commission is conducting a parallel civil investigation into Mr Thomson's dealings. However, this is yet to be heard by a court—now some eight years or more have elapsed since the conduct in question by Mr Thomson. The Fair Work Commission's investigation took over three years just to produce one report and cost taxpayers $4 million. The current system is clearly broken and it is time—(Time expired)