Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I do not have to establish anything, Senator, because a court of law in this land has found Kathy Jackson guilty of stealing $1.4 million. And this is what the royal commission did, instead of its job; it said: 'We're not going to investigate allegations against Kathy Jackson; we are going to give you, Ms Jackson, the opportunity to attack the people who made the allegations against you, which you have subsequently been proved guilty of.'

So let me be very clear about this: it is not simply Labor's contention that this outrageous witness-coaching took place; it is not even The Australian's contention. It is in black and white in the royal commission's own documentation.

Let me read directly from a file note of a telephone call between Kathy Jackson, Fiona Roughley and Matthew Ashworth. I am sure everyone in this chamber—especially Senator Abetz, who is a regular telephone correspondent with her—knows who she is. But the royal commission staff's own notes reveal that Ms Roughley told Kathy Jackson that the royal commission had obtained material relating to her slush fund. For those who are not aware, this innocuously named 'national health development account' is none other than her slush fund, that she raided for $284,000—plus the rest. And this is what was said, from the file note: 'The commission intends—