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

I thank Senator Paterson for the question. Yes, I can. Further to serious questions being raised regarding the failure of the AWU to accurately disclose a range of transactions in which industry super funds gave money to the AWU when Bill Shorten was national secretary and running for parliament in 2007, I can advise that last Thursday the AWU, in an attempt to protect Mr Shorten, amended their 10-year-old disclosure statement. Specifically, they reclassified a $27,500 donation from AustralianSuper to the AWU to say that it was not, in fact, a donation but rather an 'other receipt'.

Despite this convenient reclassification, questions regarding conflicts of interest still remain and have not been answered. I remind senators that Mr Shorten, in 2007, wore three hats: being a director of AustralianSuper, National Secretary of the AWU and the Labor candidate for Maribyrnong, all at the same time as money was changing hands. Mr Shorten must now come clean with the Australian people and explain as follows. Did he disclose these conflicts and how? And, if not, why not? Did he remove himself from any decisions around these payments and how? And, if not, why not? Did he personally ask for any of these payments or did others ask for these payments on his behalf? Further, and just as importantly, Mr Shorten should now outline what conversations he and his office have had with the AWU which led to the AWU filing just last week the amended return. (Time expired)