Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

If you have evidence, you should provide it rather than recycle old claims. At the moment all we see are baseless and recycled allegations.

Fair Work Australia officials were examined through Senate estimates process­es, and, as recently as December last year, they confirmed there had only been two contacts, neither of which could possibly be construed as inappropriate interference. The first of these contacts was detailed in Senate estimates back in April 2010. The opposition alleged inappropriate contact between Fair Work Australia and the government. I refer you to Senator Arbib's explanation in the Senate of 13 May 2010 on page 3192 which details and explains that no inappropriate information concerning the investigation was conveyed to the minister or to the office of the Prime Minister.

The only other communication between Fair Work Australia and the government has also been explained. Fair Work Australia was contacted by a ministerial media adviser following inquiries about the accuracy of a Channel 7 news report back in August last year. In October last year, the minister provided a detailed explanation of these events to a Senate estimates hearing. This information was also provided to the opposition in answers to questions on notice, but again they recycled old and dealt-with allegations. It is entirely reasonable for the staff of ministers to contact relevant agencies for the purpose of establishing facts when responding to issues raised by the media. To suggest otherwise is laughable.

The opposition today was seeking that Mr Tim Lee, the former general manager at Fair Work Australia, appear before the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee. While he was the general manager of Fair Work Australia, Mr Lee was present at a number of Senate estimates hearings and therefore has already answered opposition questions. We have detailed on more than one occasion any communication between the government and Fair Work Australia during Mr Lee's time as general manager. There is now an acting general manager who is available to answer questions at estimates. Let us make today's stunt very clear: Senator Abetz made no case at all for his motion. It had not even been addressed by the Senate committee. It was simply a timely stunt. The opposition's claims overall are similar: they are simply bizarre. As stated previously, they have criticised the government for interfering while also demanding intervention on timing or intervention on the public release of the report. Let me deal with the issue of timing. I appreciate that the investigation involving the HSU has been long-running—although it has not been three years, as Senator Abetz exaggerates—but it is important that Fair Work Australia be allowed to conduct a thorough investigation free from interference and commentary. When Fair Work Australia investigations into the Health Services Union matter are complete, the investigating officer will deliver their final reports to the general manager of Fair Work Australia. The time frame within which this will occur is—

Opposition senators interjecting—