Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

Can I simply say to the interjection: a beneficiary who used trade union members' money for the benefit of his ICAC appearance, dealing with the corruption of one Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald—not Senator Ian Macdonald but the Ian Macdonald of New South Wales—

Honourable senators interjecting—

And why did AMWU members have to pay for his appearance when all that that good senator was doing was manipulating numbers for preselections to ensure that this corrupt Ian Macdonald got re-endorsed? Why should hardworking AMWU members have to pay for that? Those are the sorts of things we want to cut out, because the average trade union member who I speak to tells me that they are a member of the union because it is like an insurance policy, if you like. They do not want to hold hands and sing Solidarity Forever. That is not why they are a member of the union movement. They are simply there to protect their interests. They see the corruption and the rip-offs. And it is not only the former National President of the Australian Labor Party, Michael Williamson, and the former Labor member for Dobell involved in these sorts of corrupt activities; it is a whole host of Labor officials and it is now coming out more and more.

The current national vice-president of the Australian Labor Party has been caught up in the latest slush fund allegations. It is endemic; it is corrupt. Australia deserves to be rid of it. That is what we campaigned on, that is what we got a mandate for and that is why I encourage the Labor Party to search their souls and say: 'Enough of this corruption. Let's get rid of it once and for all and clean up the mess.' (Time expired)