Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Exactly, Senator Cash! How do you defend this sort of stuff?

I've said this before: I know that amongst the number of those opposite are people who have held senior positions in the trade union movement. I don't think any of those opposite, including Senator Sheldon, would have engaged in any sort of conduct which came within a bull's roar of that which was documented in the Federal Court case brought down last week. I can't imagine my colleague Senator Sheldon would have engaged in that conduct. I can't imagine Senator Sterle would engage in that conduct, or Senator Walsh or Senator Ciccone—all well-respected members of the Australian trade union movement. But the Labor Party seems incapable of dealing with this issue from an institutional perspective. It is just going to get worse.

Do you know, Madam Acting Deputy President, that what was said in that Boggo Road Cross River Rail case was so bad that His Honour added an annexure to the judgement—