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

Unfortunately, Senator Duniam, yes, I am. Bank statements and other documents tabled during the Heydon royal commission from the Victorian branch of the AWU have, unfortunately, revealed numerous secret payments from big business to the union between 2003 and 2007. Who was the chief negotiator of the AWU at the time? It was none other than the current Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten.

What is worse is that these secret payments were being made at the same time as the union was negotiating enterprise agreements with these companies or shortly after these enterprise agreements were entered into. Guess who signed these enterprise agreements. Guess who signed them. None other than the current Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten. The companies included Clean Event, Chiquita Mushrooms, Thiess, John Holland, Winslow Constructors and Unibuild. But wait, unfortunately there is more: bank statements—look at them. Look at these bank statements and what they disclose. Let us turn to one of the examples in these bank statements. From 2004 to 2007, the AWU Victoria branch received 40 payments from Visy companies totalling $191,399.44. The only person who knows what these payments were for, and he has never disclosed it, is none other than Mr Shorten himself.

Senator Cameron interjecting —

Senator Seselja interjecting —