Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In the interests of transparency, will the Prime Minister tell the House what it is costing taxpayers to engage Dyson Heydon? Can the Prime Minister confirm that Mr Heydon's salary is more than the $3.3 million being paid to counsel assisting the royal commission, Mr Stoljar? Is the Prime Minister aware that the Howard government disclosed the salary for Commissioner Cole?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This issue has been extensively canvassed in Senate estimates and it has been dealt with in the same way that questions of this nature have always been dealt with.

I can say that this particular royal commission is well under budget. It is being run prudently and frugally, as you would expect. Again I ask: what are members opposite so scared of? Why are they so terrified of this royal commission which is designed to get to the bottom of rorts, rackets and rip-offs inside the trade union movement? Why is this Leader of the Opposition so terrified? Is he frightened he might be called back before the royal commission to answer—

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance. Rhetorical questions of us have nothing to do with the question.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All that members opposite are doing, with this increasingly shrill, hysterical and hypocritical attack on the royal commissioner, is demonstrating how much they have to hide. Based on the evidence before the royal commission so far, there is a very great deal to hide. The Leader of the Opposition himself has been exposed as someone who was supposed to represent workers, but he ripped off the workers to help himself. I say to members opposite: if they have got a problem with the royal commissioner, there is a procedure that can be entered into before the royal commissioner. It is the procedure that was advised to them by the head of the Law Council of Australia. I suggest to members opposite that if they do not like the person who is presiding they can take an appropriate action. That is what they should do. In the meantime, do not smear someone who was a distinguished judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, who was a very distinguished judge of the High Court of Australia and who is doing the right thing by the workers of our country—unlike members opposite.