Bill Shorten challenges Tony Abbott to unions debate in parliament
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Version 0 of 1. The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, has challenged the prime minister, Tony Abbott, to take the fight against unions from the royal commission to parliament. Shorten could be recalled for further questions at the royal commission into trade union governance and corruption about his time as the Victorian and national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union. Shorten faced two days of interrogation last week in which it was revealed he declared a $40,000 campaign donation made in 2007 only last Monday, and had his credibility as a witness questioned. Related: Bill Shorten at the royal commission: no killer blow, but now for the aftermath Shorten has declined to say whether he’ll reappear and be cross-examined by his own lawyers, saying he’s already answered 900 questions. Instead, he threw the gauntlet down to Abbott. “If Mr Abbott has the courage of his convictions, he shouldn’t be hiding behind a royal commission to do his political dirty work,” Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday. “Have a debate with me in parliament or in any town hall about workplace relations.” Shorten recorded a video message, released on Sunday, saying he was proud of his union track record and criticising government budget cuts. “I am recording this message because I want to tell people that I am more determined than ever to stand up for a future that makes good jobs, good schools and good hospitals accessible for all Australians,” he said in the video. But the government has urged the public to stay tuned for further revelations. “I think there’s a lot more to be seen here,” the federal employment minister, Eric Abetz, told the Ten Network on Sunday. Abetz hit back at accusations the royal commission was a waste of money, pointing to its interim report which made substantial findings against trade unions and officials. He said people have been forced to resign, unions have been forced into the Fair Work Commission to renegotiate – and Shorten was required to declare the donation which inaccurately described a campaign manager as a research officer. Abetz also took umbrage at accusations his former Hobart law firm would receive a windfall in legal fees from the commission. The comment, from Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon, was another example of the opposition’s ugly smear campaign to besmirch the credibility of the inquiry, Abetz said. “Mr Shorten should demand that Mr Fitzgibbon immediately withdraw his comments and issue an unreserved apology,” he said. Fitzgibbon later clarified that he meant attorney general George Brandis’s former firm was “getting rich” on the process. |