Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. Can the Attorney-General confirm that Commissioner Heydon's salary is more than the $3.3 million being paid to counsel assisting the royal commission, Mr Stoljar?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask the Attorney: why is Commissioner Heydon's salary a secret when the counsel assisting the royal commission's salary is not?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Collins, as you would be aware, it is not the custom of Australian governments of either political persuasion to publish commercial-in-confidence matters.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left. Senator Brandis, had you concluded your answer?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. The critical issue, and the issue I would like the Attorney-General to address, is: how many tens of millions of dollars has this partisan royal commission cost Australian taxpayers so far?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is coming in below budget.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the finance minister just points out to me, it is coming in below budget. The royal commission has in fact been a very efficiently run royal commission in terms of its budgeting.

But, when we ask ourselves about the cost of the royal commission, what we have to do is look at it in the overall context. How much is this royal commission going to save the Australian economy by throwing a spotlight on corruption and rorts and racketeering by the trade unions that you seek to protect by destroying the royal commission? We know what your motive is, Senator Collins, just as we do the motive of your leader, Senator Wong. You do not want corruption in the trade union movement exposed and you will stop at nothing to tear down the royal commission that has blown the whistle. (Time expired)