Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Abbott government has tried to smear its way into another term of government by using $80 million of taxpayers' money on a thoroughly compromised royal commission. Failing on fundamental tests of competence and economic management, Tony Abbott launched a politically motivated witch hunt to impugn the reputation of the unions and of the Labor Party. Knowing that he would not be able to win the argument on substantive issues of policy and the future direction of this country, Mr Abbott decided to play dirty instead.

Last month we saw evidence of just how conflicted this royal commission is—when we heard that the Royal Commissioner himself, Dyson Heydon, agreed to be the star speaker at a Liberal party function. The invitation clearly showed that funds from the event would be funnelled into the Liberals' election campaigning. Clearly, any reasonable person would have difficulty believing that a man who has agreed to be a star speaker at a party political event does not have an affinity with that party. Then we had the absurd situation of Mr Heydon ruling on whether Mr Heydon could be perceived by a reasonable person to be biased. Sadly, in his ruling, Mr Heydon ignored the advice—