Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to recent comments by Kathy Jackson, National Secretary of the Health Services Union, a union regulated by this government under the Fair Work Act, warning of a purported cover-up of the misuse of union members' funds by a corrupt cabal of union officials. How is the government ensuring, through Fair Work Australia, that this cannot happen and that this cover-up will be exposed?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her question, confirming as it does that the opposition could not sustain their argument for their refugee and asylum seeker policy for half of question time.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will return to the question.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course, they cannot sustain it because it is founded on hypocrisy about the refugee convention and founded on the hypocrisy about assurances, so that has fallen away.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will return to the question.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In answer to the deputy leader's question about Fair Work Australia, the deputy leader should look at the Fair Work Act. What she will see there is that Fair Work Australia is properly set up as an independent body. It regulates itself. It does not act at prime ministerial direction on these questions. That would be quite wrong.