Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you. This legislation is about protecting the most vulnerable workers by legislating accountability and transparency for the union hacks who have gotten their way with criminal activity for far too long. The workers of Australia need to be protected from the excesses of the union movement. Regrettably, this is happening too many times and too often. We believe that this legislation will protect the union movement from the other Craig Thomsons and the other Michael Williamsons out there.

Some we already know, and I have mentioned those. Others have been revealed in the recently released report of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption inquiry. We already know that the interim report makes adverse comments and criticisms about officials of various unions and the operation of a number of slush funds and other entities. I want to refer to a number of the unions mentioned. Senator Abetz in a media release dated 19 December 2014 refers to the two volumes of the interim report of the royal commission into trade union governance that were tabled—and of course the third, confidential volume, which deals with the serious criminal matters, which could not be publicly released because of 'serious risks to the safety of certain individuals referred to in this volume'.

The royal commission made a significant number of recommendations, including that the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions 'consider criminal charges against a range of CFMEU officials in relation to various acts of intimidation and coercion', that ASIC 'consider charges against the Queensland state secretary of the CFMEU', that the DPP 'consider criminal charges against a range of HSU officials'—and the list goes on.

The royal commission's comments in relation to the confidential volume certainly have to raise alarm bells. They are of huge, grave concern. To say that evidence could not be publicly released because of 'serious threats made to certain witnesses and their families' reveals, as the royal commissioner correctly stated, 'grave threats to the power and authority of the Australian state'. We know that the police are pursuing these matters.

The interim report also makes adverse comments and criticisms about certain officials and a number of other slush funds: the TWU, the AWU, the HSU, the CFMEU—and the list goes on. The interim report also identifies the five key areas of concern about the current use and operation of union election slush funds: how they operate in secret, how they are characterised by deficient or nonexisting record-keeping, other contributions to them may not be voluntary, how they give a disproportionate advantage to incumbents—

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Sorry, Senator—through you, Madam Chair—are you threatening? Senator Cameron, would you like to repeat that for the record?