Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Work­place Relations, Senator Evans. I refer the minister to the ongoing and seemingly endless investigation by Fair Work Australia into the activities of the member for Dobell when he was the National Secretary of the Health Services Union. Is the minister aware of statements made yesterday on 2UE by the National Secretary of the Health Services Union, Mrs Kathy Jackson? She said:

We expected this matter would be resolved earlier one way or another. It would have been far better for the union if it had been … It surprises not just me but the whole executive that Fair Work have taken so long.

Minister, the union first reported this matter to the former industrial relations commission before Fair Work Australia even existed. Why has the investigation taken so long?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ronaldson for the question. First of all, I indicate that, as he well knows, following a rather incorrect claim made in the media on, I think, 18 August, Mr Tim Lee, General Manager of Fair Work Australia, put out a statement where he responded to that. He also set out the record of the timing of the investigation that Senator Ronaldson refers to. As part of that, he indicated that the investigation was ongoing and that Fair work Australia had made no comment on any aspect either of its inquiry or of its subsequent investigation.

What Mr Lee, the General Manager of Fair Work Australia, did was lay out the facts of the matter but also made it clear that there was an ongoing investigation and that they would complete that investigation in accordance with their own time frames. Senator Ronaldson knows well that, if I had actually rung Mr Lee or sought to make inquiries or discuss with him the investi­gation, I would be under attack here for having interfered in the investigation, which of course I have not and will not. It does stand in stark contrast to what seems to have occurred in New South Wales, where political connections have been used in association with a police inquiry, where people are ringing their mates and asking questions about whether they ought to have a chat to the chief Police Commissioner.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: the minister might care to explain his intervention in Senate estimates in February, when he actually stopped an officer from Fair Work Australia from answering questions that he was prepared to answer.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! That is debating the issue.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note the outrage that Senator Ronaldson has with this matter, given that he let it lie for a couple of months but now it seems to be the most important thing in his life. I have acted completely within the appropriate guidelines for ministers. I am not sure that Senator Brandis can say that he has acted as properly as I have.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is the minister also aware that at the same interview Ms Jackson said:

But let me remind your listeners and our members that Fair Work have interviewed officers of the union. The Government Solicitor has been involved in those interviews.

She went on:

My understanding is that Fair Work Australia has the Government Solicitor involved or the AG's office.

Minister, can you confirm the involvement of the Government Solicitor and/or the office of the Attorney-General in the Fair Work Australia investigation?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I cannot confirm those claims. I have not heard them put before. I have heard no suggestion that the Attorney-General's office has been involved. But, in terms of the Solicitor-General and the Attorney-General's offices, I will take that on notice and see if I can get any information to help the senator. But I make the point that there has been no political interference in relation to Fair Work Australia's investigation. They are continu­ing. Once their investigation has been completed, they will report. The general manager has made that clear, and I have allowed them to do their job as they should. It would have been most improper for me to seek to interfere in that investigation.

I will take on notice those parts of the supplementary question from Senator Ronaldson about the office of the Solicitor-General and the Attorney-General. I have never heard those suggestions put before, but they did get some legal advice in relation to the matters at Senate estimates, which the senator is aware of. But if there is anything else I can help him with, I will get back to him. (Time expired)

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supple­mentary question. Speaking of improper interference, I ask the minister: given your intervention at Senate estimates in February to stop Fair Work Australia answering my questions about who they had interviewed in this investigation and when they had been interviewed, aren't your wafer thin excuses simply part of a giant Labor cover-up to protect the Prime Minister's wafer thin majority?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The only political interference I have seen in this matter in the last few months is the suggestion that improper influence has been used in relation to the New South Wales minster for police. That is the only allegation that I have seen that relates to political interference in these matters. This government has allowed proper process to occur and has allowed the appro­priate authorities to pursue those proper processes without political interference. We have not been ringing up our mates saying: 'Can you have a chat to the police com­missioner? Can you do me a favour and have a chat to him.' We have not been operating like that. We have said people are allowed the presumption of innocence and the appropriate authorities ought to be allowed to do their jobs without that interfer­ence. There will be no mates arrangements in relation to authorities from this government. What we seem to see in New South Wales is that sort of arrangement and I think it is most inappropriate.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, a point of order on relevance: I have put to the minister that he interfered inappropriately in the Senate estimates process in February and I am yet to have any response to that at all. The minister is acutely aware of the fact that he refused to allow Mr Nassios from Fair Work Australia to answer my question.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. The minister has seven seconds remaining.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ronaldson may now seek to slur me, but he does understand that Fair Work Australia got proper legal advice and acted on that advice. (Time expired)