Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lindgren for her question. We on this side of the chamber are strongly opposed to the corruption and misuse of membership funds wherever it occurs, whether the entity involved is a trade union or whether it is an employer body or other professional organisation.

Unfortunately, the royal commission has heard mounting evidence of reckless spending sprees carried out by one registered organisation in New South Wales. The spending sprees have included Tiffany jewellery, a corporate package for a Monster Truck show, indoor skydiving lessons and tattoos, all of which were charged to credit cards funded by the organisation's membership. I would hope that all in this chamber agree that officials should never view the hard-working members of their organisations as nothing more or less than a cash cow to be exploited for their own personal benefit. In fact, I am sure that all in this chamber, and the low-paid workers who paid almost $600 a year to join this organisation, would be absolutely outraged at how their personal moneys were spent.

What we have seen in the royal commission to date are three consistent themes: bogus invoices, secret payments and inflated false memberships. That is why this government has introduced changes to establish an effective regulator, the Registered Organisations Commission, with proper powers to ensure that this type of behaviour can no longer occur. If you are misappropriating members' funds, regardless of who you are, you deserve to be found out and penalised. If you are not, quite frankly, you have nothing to worry about.