Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the answers given by Senator Cash to questions asked by myself and Senator Wong. Well, wasn't it an uncharacteristically subdued performance from Senator Cash today, when she had to answer questions without prepared bile being flung against the trade union movement? Minister Cash knew about allegations against Mr Hadgkiss, allegations that were sufficiently robust to be vented in the Federal Court and sufficiently robust to be proved correct. They were sufficiently robust that Mr Hadgkiss had to concede that what was put before the court was correct.

Minister Cash either colluded with Mr Hadgkiss to cover up his illegal activity or was completely incompetent. Minister Cash had a responsibility to inquire as to whether there was any validity to the allegations that were being made against a very senior Commonwealth officer. Minister Cash failed to do this. She failed to do it because any cursory examination of the allegations that were being made would have resulted in the conclusion that the allegations were correct. Minister Cash failed to ensure that the law that applied in this country, that was under her portfolio, was applied correctly. Minister Cash just failed in the basics of what her responsibility was to ensure that the law was applied.

Did Minister Cash advise the Prime Minister or the cabinet of the allegations that were being made against Mr Hadgkiss? Because if even a cursory examination of those allegations had been made, it would be clear that the person being put forward for a very senior public service position was, in fact, a law-breaker. That is what would have been seen, yet this minister failed to do any examination of the allegations that were before the Federal Court. She continued to work with Mr Hadgkiss and promoted Mr Hadgkiss to a position that he should not have been entitled to take up, given his unlawful behaviour.

I wonder if the minister did disclose the cloud that was over Mr Hadgkiss to the cabinet? If she did, what was this cabinet doing appointing Mr Hadgkiss to a position in which he was supposed to uphold the law but in fact was breaking the law? He was the regulator who was supposed to uphold the law. When did Minister Cash advise the Prime Minister of the illegal behaviour of Mr Hadgkiss? Why didn't Minister Cash sack Nigel Hadgkiss, instead of allowing a two-week extension and providing him with $16,000 of public money while he had admitted to breaching the law? He was a self-confessed person who had undertaken illegal activity, yet he was rewarded by this minister with $16,000. He is a self-confessed law-breaker, given an extra $16,000 of public money by Minister Cash. If that had been some poor worker in a low-paid job trying to get access to the Fair Work Commission for unfair dismissal proceedings, Senator Cash would have waved that away and said, 'No, we don't want people to have access to unfair dismissal proceedings.' But this is a minister who knew that this person had acted illegally, who did not take steps to do anything proper about it, who should not be a minister in this place and who should resign. (Time expired)