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

One of the criticisms from those opposite is that this legislation is going to target unions. That is completely, totally and utterly wrong. As Commissioner Heydon said in the royal commission: 'Corrupt receipt implies corrupt payment.' So the legislation that we will introduce is going to ensure that both the giving of the payment by the employer and the receipt by the union are criminalised. Again, unless they are legitimate payments—and legitimacy is something that one would assume requires disclosure and transparency—these payments should not be taking place. What we will do is criminalise those payments because, if you cannot tell the employees of the company, the members of the union, what these payments are for, then they should not be made.

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—