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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2015/jul/08/bill-shorten-fronts-the-trade-union-royal-commission-politics-live
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| Bill Shorten fronts the trade union royal commission – politics live | Bill Shorten fronts the trade union royal commission – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.07am AEST02:07 | |
| Now apologies on spellings, I’m going to have to check this in the break. I believed the company was Unibilt. But Stoljar is now raising another related company which is Unibuilt. Stoljar says Unibuilt (with the U) went into liquidation. | |
| I’ll check and correct when time permits. For now I need to keep with the flow of the evidence. | |
| 11.04am AEST02:04 | |
| Persisting with Lance Wilson. Stoljar wants to know when Unibilt stopped paying his wages and the AWU started paying his wages. | |
| Shorten isn’t sure. He suggests he wasn’t intent on the fine print. | |
| I don’t know why it occurred. My interest was that I had a campaign person working full-time. Unibilt was good enough to provide the funding for that position. At some point, he has been transferred in employment from Unibilt to the union, and Unibilt is paying the union who would pay his wages. | |
| For me, it was about a campaign resource, which was good. | |
| Stoljar says hang on, you must have some recollection of this change. Why make the change? | |
| Shorten: | |
| I can’t tell you that, you would have to ask the Victorian branch and Unibilt. | |
| Q: Why are documents being prepared which suggest he is an employee of the AWU who has been contracted to Unibilt? | |
| You would have to ask the Victorian AWU why that was so. | |
| Updated at 11.07am AEST | |
| 10.56am AEST01:56 | |
| Stoljar moves in for his point. He thinks Shorten should not be discussing a political donation with a company at the same time enterprise negotiations are going on. | |
| Q: Isn’t that a situation in which you’re using your position as national secretary to gain an advantage for yourself, namely a full-time campaign worker? | |
| Shorten: | |
| Absolutely not. You have made a pretty significant statement and I wouldn’t mind having the courtesy to finish. | |
| He says the idea that it is untoward to transact two things at once is incorrect. It’s not how things operated at the AWU. | |
| 10.51am AEST01:51 | |
| We are back to the contract for Lance Wilson. Stoljar wants to know whether an email that reads: “Hi Ted, Bill asked me to email you this letter of offer” refreshes his memory about instructing the AWU financial officer to draft the contract. | |
| Shorten: | |
| I am sure that I asked Mr Chen – it does help me refresh my memory – prepare a document to send to Mr Lockyer, yes. | |
| (Lockyer is the boss of Unibilt.) | |
| Stoljar is unhappy that Lance Wilson is described as a research officer for Unibilt when he was actually a political staffer for Shorten. | |
| Q: Isn’t this the position, that the purported contract falsely states that Lance Wilson is a research officer with Unibilt when in fact he was your campaign director? | |
| Shorten: | |
| Mr Lockyer understood that he was being asked to employ a campaign resource, to employ someone on my campaign. The term ‘research officer’ is not correct. I agree with that point. He was a campaign resource. We knew that. | |
| Q: It is not just a question of terminology, he wasn’t working for Unibilt at all, was he? | |
| He was employed by Unibilt and donated to work on my campaign. | |
| We are back now to the enterprise agreement for Unibilt and the connection with a donation. | |
| Stoljar wants to know how Shorten managed to get the donation of his campaign director. Shorten says he asked Ted Lockyer and he said yes, there’s no other way these things go down. | |
| I find, in my experience, in terms of donations, either you have to ask or someone has to offer – and that is what happened here. | |
| Shorten is continuing to say he didn’t have oversight of the enterprise agreement with Unibilt. That was done in Victoria. | |
| Updated at 10.58am AEST | |
| 10.41am AEST01:41 | |
| Stoljar wants to know who were the paid members of his campaign team in 2007. There’s some discussion about a desire by one person that her name remain confidential. | |
| Heydon says Shorten’s wishes should be respected in this instance, given this has been a specific request of his former staffer. | |
| Stoljar is unhappy about the restriction and wants now to refer to this person as the mystery worker. | |
| Shorten, a bit pointed in this retort: | |
| I am sorry about that, it is just that the person asked me. Obviously there is no great secret and I don’t want anyone to think untoward. | |
| Sometimes being mentioned in the commission can embarrass people, even when they are perfectly innocent. | |
| Shorten asks if the woman can be referred to as the second campaign worker rather than the mystery worker. Stoljar consents. | |
| Q: Who paid that person’s wages? | |
| I think the union. | |
| Q: What do you mean you think? | |
| The union. | |
| Q: When you say the union, what does that mean – national, state? | |
| The Australian Workers’ Union national office. | |
| Updated at 10.55am AEST | |
| 10.33am AEST01:33 | 10.33am AEST01:33 |
| Stoljar wants to know if Shorten told Lance Wilson his wages were being paid by Unibilt. Shorten says not initially. | Stoljar wants to know if Shorten told Lance Wilson his wages were being paid by Unibilt. Shorten says not initially. |
| Shorten: | Shorten: |
| I was on the lookout for good people. I would have said to Lance to the effect of, and I don’t recall my exact words, this was 10 years ago, but perhaps if it works out between us you can come and work for me on my campaign. | I was on the lookout for good people. I would have said to Lance to the effect of, and I don’t recall my exact words, this was 10 years ago, but perhaps if it works out between us you can come and work for me on my campaign. |
| I need a campaign director. | I need a campaign director. |
| The document we started with at the beginning of this evidence is an employment contract for Wilson. | The document we started with at the beginning of this evidence is an employment contract for Wilson. |
| Stoljar wants to know whether Shorten asked for this contract to be drawn up. Shorten says it is possible he asked the AWU’s financial officer to prepare a contract. | Stoljar wants to know whether Shorten asked for this contract to be drawn up. Shorten says it is possible he asked the AWU’s financial officer to prepare a contract. |
| I could well have asked Michael Chen to prepare a contract. | I could well have asked Michael Chen to prepare a contract. |
| How were the details determined? Shorten isn’t sure. | How were the details determined? Shorten isn’t sure. |
| Q: Was someone else from the union giving Michael Chen instruction on how to draft this contract? | Q: Was someone else from the union giving Michael Chen instruction on how to draft this contract? |
| Shorten: | Shorten: |
| I don’t know. | I don’t know. |
| Q: My question was ‘it’s likely you gave Michael Chen the instructions to prepare this contract.’ Do you agree with that? | Q: My question was ‘it’s likely you gave Michael Chen the instructions to prepare this contract.’ Do you agree with that? |
| Shorten: | Shorten: |
| Yes, I could well have asked him to prepare a contract but going to the specific terms of the contract I didn’t supervise every clause and every document, no. | Yes, I could well have asked him to prepare a contract but going to the specific terms of the contract I didn’t supervise every clause and every document, no. |
| Stoljar: | Stoljar: |
| Q: It’s not every clause and every document, it’s the opening line and describing his position – research officer with Unibilt. | Q: It’s not every clause and every document, it’s the opening line and describing his position – research officer with Unibilt. |
| Shorten: | Shorten: |
| Yes, but I still don’t draft all the contract documents that you are referring to. | Yes, but I still don’t draft all the contract documents that you are referring to. |
| 10.23am AEST01:23 | 10.23am AEST01:23 |
| Stoljar wants to know whether Shorten discussed the company’s donation of the services of his campaign director Lance Wilson at the time the agreement was being negotiated. | Stoljar wants to know whether Shorten discussed the company’s donation of the services of his campaign director Lance Wilson at the time the agreement was being negotiated. |
| Q: Did you discuss that with Mr Lockyer when you were having discussions with this donation he was going to make? | Q: Did you discuss that with Mr Lockyer when you were having discussions with this donation he was going to make? |
| Shorten: | Shorten: |
| Not at all. I don’t believe that to be the case at all. The Unibilt negotiations were done by the Victorian branch. I no longer have a line of sight to the Victorian branch. | Not at all. I don’t believe that to be the case at all. The Unibilt negotiations were done by the Victorian branch. I no longer have a line of sight to the Victorian branch. |
| 10.20am AEST01:20 | 10.20am AEST01:20 |
| Counsel assisting Jeremy Stoljar takes Shorten now to an enterprise agreement between the AWU and Unibilt. Shorten examines the material and gives evidence that at the time of the ratification of the agreement I was no longer Victorian secretary of the union. | Counsel assisting Jeremy Stoljar takes Shorten now to an enterprise agreement between the AWU and Unibilt. Shorten examines the material and gives evidence that at the time of the ratification of the agreement I was no longer Victorian secretary of the union. |
| Shorten says Cesar Melhem would have concluded this agreement. | Shorten says Cesar Melhem would have concluded this agreement. |
| Stoljar says isn’t this a national agreement? Shorten says yes, but he believes it was executed in Victoria. | Stoljar says isn’t this a national agreement? Shorten says yes, but he believes it was executed in Victoria. |
| I didn’t do this negotiation in 2007. | I didn’t do this negotiation in 2007. |
| Because, as I have said earlier, I was no longer the Victorian secretary. | Because, as I have said earlier, I was no longer the Victorian secretary. |
| Updated at 10.24am AEST | Updated at 10.24am AEST |
| 10.13am AEST01:13 | 10.13am AEST01:13 |
| A bunch of documents have been tabled. The first document concerns a company called Unibilt and Lance Wilson who was Shorten’s campaign director for his federal seat of Maribyrnong. | A bunch of documents have been tabled. The first document concerns a company called Unibilt and Lance Wilson who was Shorten’s campaign director for his federal seat of Maribyrnong. |
| Has he seen this document before? | Has he seen this document before? |
| Bill Shorten: | Bill Shorten: |
| Not that I recall, no. | Not that I recall, no. |
| Shorten says he knows what the “document was doing” but doesn’t have specific knowledge. Unibilt is a labour hire company. The evidence is the company paid Wilson to work for Shorten. | Shorten says he knows what the “document was doing” but doesn’t have specific knowledge. Unibilt is a labour hire company. The evidence is the company paid Wilson to work for Shorten. |
| Q: He was going to be working full-time on your campaign, is that right? | Q: He was going to be working full-time on your campaign, is that right? |
| Shorten: | Shorten: |
| Yes. | Yes. |
| Shorten says Lance Wilson was in Young Labor. Unibilt was prepared to pay Wilson to work on Shorten’s campaign. | Shorten says Lance Wilson was in Young Labor. Unibilt was prepared to pay Wilson to work on Shorten’s campaign. |
| Shorten: | Shorten: |
| He was working on my campaign. | He was working on my campaign. |
| Q: So he wasn’t a research officer for Unibilt? | Q: So he wasn’t a research officer for Unibilt? |
| No, he was working on my campaign. | No, he was working on my campaign. |
| Updated at 10.36am AEST | Updated at 10.36am AEST |
| 10.02am AEST01:02 | 10.02am AEST01:02 |
| Bill Shorten opens his evidence | Bill Shorten opens his evidence |
| Former high court judge John Dyson Heydon is in his chair. Shorten has just been sworn in. Here we go. | Former high court judge John Dyson Heydon is in his chair. Shorten has just been sworn in. Here we go. |
| Updated at 10.04am AEST | Updated at 10.04am AEST |
| 9.55am AEST00:55 | 9.55am AEST00:55 |
| This $80m witch hunt by the government will not in any way impact on Bill Shorten. | This $80m witch hunt by the government will not in any way impact on Bill Shorten. |
| This is Shorten’s Victorian Labor colleague Brendan O’Connor, back in Canberra. O’Connor has been on #turc spoiler duties for several days. O’Connor attacking the commission as a blatantly political exercise allows Shorten to grimly pretend that he’s happy to be there. | This is Shorten’s Victorian Labor colleague Brendan O’Connor, back in Canberra. O’Connor has been on #turc spoiler duties for several days. O’Connor attacking the commission as a blatantly political exercise allows Shorten to grimly pretend that he’s happy to be there. |
| It’s called walking both sides of the street. | It’s called walking both sides of the street. |
| Updated at 10.15am AEST | Updated at 10.15am AEST |
| 9.47am AEST00:47 | 9.47am AEST00:47 |
| Our colleagues over at Fairfax have framed their preview for today as ten questions Bill Shorten must answer in the witness box today. I’d frame that observation as “speaking of BuzzFeed” but that would imply I’m anti-listicle. Regular readers of mine know I love a listicle. | Our colleagues over at Fairfax have framed their preview for today as ten questions Bill Shorten must answer in the witness box today. I’d frame that observation as “speaking of BuzzFeed” but that would imply I’m anti-listicle. Regular readers of mine know I love a listicle. |
| Sticking with Fairfax, Age political editor Michael Gordon is in ‘consequences for Shorten’ territory with his analysis. | Sticking with Fairfax, Age political editor Michael Gordon is in ‘consequences for Shorten’ territory with his analysis. |
| Mr Shorten will become the third Labor leader to appear before a royal commission set up by Mr Abbott (a record for any incoming government), but he faces a very different challenge to the two former prime ministers who gave their testimonies last year. While Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd were defending their respective legacies when they took the stand at separate inquiries, Mr Shorten’s appearance is all about his future. The timing could hardly be more critical, with Mr Shorten’s approval ratings at record lows as he prepares for what could be a bruising national conference of the Labor party and the run-up to the election due next year. | Mr Shorten will become the third Labor leader to appear before a royal commission set up by Mr Abbott (a record for any incoming government), but he faces a very different challenge to the two former prime ministers who gave their testimonies last year. While Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd were defending their respective legacies when they took the stand at separate inquiries, Mr Shorten’s appearance is all about his future. The timing could hardly be more critical, with Mr Shorten’s approval ratings at record lows as he prepares for what could be a bruising national conference of the Labor party and the run-up to the election due next year. |
| Updated at 10.14am AEST | Updated at 10.14am AEST |
| 9.39am AEST00:39 | 9.39am AEST00:39 |
| The media room is filling up in Sydney. Guardian Australia’s own First Dog is clearly astonished that the ABC’s 7.30 Report host, Leigh Sales, will have to take her place in history, down the back, behind BuzzFeed. | The media room is filling up in Sydney. Guardian Australia’s own First Dog is clearly astonished that the ABC’s 7.30 Report host, Leigh Sales, will have to take her place in history, down the back, behind BuzzFeed. |
| Australia is finished RT @BuzzFeedOzPol: We've arrived at #TURCShorten and sorry @leighsales if we block your view. pic.twitter.com/gXhq1W6OIF | Australia is finished RT @BuzzFeedOzPol: We've arrived at #TURCShorten and sorry @leighsales if we block your view. pic.twitter.com/gXhq1W6OIF |
| The rise of new media in Australia is complete. | The rise of new media in Australia is complete. |
| 9.26am AEST00:26 | 9.26am AEST00:26 |
| Good morning | Good morning |
| Hello everyone and welcome to Politics Live, a place where too much politics is never enough. We are coming together today, outside the normal parliamentary session, for Bill Shorten’s appearance before the royal commission into trade union governance and corruption – or #turc as the cool kids on social media call it. | Hello everyone and welcome to Politics Live, a place where too much politics is never enough. We are coming together today, outside the normal parliamentary session, for Bill Shorten’s appearance before the royal commission into trade union governance and corruption – or #turc as the cool kids on social media call it. |
| Today is obviously a significant personal test for Shorten, as anyone who has ever been cross-examined in a court or quasi court process would understand. It’s a gruelling experience, and Shorten is prepared for the inquisition to stretch beyond today. We political journalists will make our various pronouncements about the implications for his leadership. | Today is obviously a significant personal test for Shorten, as anyone who has ever been cross-examined in a court or quasi court process would understand. It’s a gruelling experience, and Shorten is prepared for the inquisition to stretch beyond today. We political journalists will make our various pronouncements about the implications for his leadership. |
| Thus far, the Labor leader is pretending he’s happy to be there. His office on Tuesday night circulated a short statement from Shorten ahead of today’s proceedings. | Thus far, the Labor leader is pretending he’s happy to be there. His office on Tuesday night circulated a short statement from Shorten ahead of today’s proceedings. |
| Bill Shorten: | Bill Shorten: |
| I relish the opportunity to talk about what I believe to be every Australian’s right – a good, safe job with proper pay and conditions. | I relish the opportunity to talk about what I believe to be every Australian’s right – a good, safe job with proper pay and conditions. |
| In fairness he possibly does relish that ... a little bit. To suggest he’s delighted to turn up would be stretching everyone’s credulity. | In fairness he possibly does relish that ... a little bit. To suggest he’s delighted to turn up would be stretching everyone’s credulity. |
| My colleague Daniel Hurst has a well established tendency to file the most comprehensive report on any issue going and this morning is no exception. If you just need the short version of what we can likely expect today before resuming life and tuning back into our coverage later on today, you can find Daniel’s preview here. A little while back, Daniel also published a longer primer about the issues that we’ll likely hear about over the course of today. It’s worth a read if you have a moment and you can find that here. Daniel is in the hearing in Sydney and will be filing news updates throughout today. I’ll link to these as they come to hand. If you want to follow him on twitter he’s at @danielhurstbne | My colleague Daniel Hurst has a well established tendency to file the most comprehensive report on any issue going and this morning is no exception. If you just need the short version of what we can likely expect today before resuming life and tuning back into our coverage later on today, you can find Daniel’s preview here. A little while back, Daniel also published a longer primer about the issues that we’ll likely hear about over the course of today. It’s worth a read if you have a moment and you can find that here. Daniel is in the hearing in Sydney and will be filing news updates throughout today. I’ll link to these as they come to hand. If you want to follow him on twitter he’s at @danielhurstbne |
| If you are sticking with me, then let’s begin to set the scene. | If you are sticking with me, then let’s begin to set the scene. |
| We expect Shorten to be questioned by Jeremy Stoljar, counsel assisting the inquiry. The questions will cover the period when the Labor leader was secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union Victorian branch from 1998 to 2006. Shorten also served as the union’s national secretary from 2001 until he entered parliament in the Rudd-slide of 2007. | We expect Shorten to be questioned by Jeremy Stoljar, counsel assisting the inquiry. The questions will cover the period when the Labor leader was secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union Victorian branch from 1998 to 2006. Shorten also served as the union’s national secretary from 2001 until he entered parliament in the Rudd-slide of 2007. |
| Let’s see what the day brings but we anticipate Shorten will be questioned about payments various companies made to the AWU in order to cover membership fees. It’s not unusual for companies to make direct payments to unions for various services – training, occupational health and safety services, membership dues. But the commission has expressed interest in two things: whether the payments were made with the knowledge of employees who were signed up to the AWU; and whether the payments had the effect of boosting AWU influence within the ALP. | Let’s see what the day brings but we anticipate Shorten will be questioned about payments various companies made to the AWU in order to cover membership fees. It’s not unusual for companies to make direct payments to unions for various services – training, occupational health and safety services, membership dues. But the commission has expressed interest in two things: whether the payments were made with the knowledge of employees who were signed up to the AWU; and whether the payments had the effect of boosting AWU influence within the ALP. |
| In the lead-up to his appearance today there has also been some re-prosecution of Shorten’s various workplace deals – whether they delivered for workers or whether they delivered for the bosses. My own view is the payments are certainly worthy of close scrutiny, and I get the interest in practices that might have inflated AWU membership numbers, but the re-prosecution of the industrial agreements that were negotiated by Shorten is a bit strange, for this old industrial reporter at least. These agreements were reported at the time and were made under the relevant federal law, which included a no-disadvantage test. The point of dealing with the AWU from the point of view of employers was it presented as a more constructive union that its rival, the CFMEU. | In the lead-up to his appearance today there has also been some re-prosecution of Shorten’s various workplace deals – whether they delivered for workers or whether they delivered for the bosses. My own view is the payments are certainly worthy of close scrutiny, and I get the interest in practices that might have inflated AWU membership numbers, but the re-prosecution of the industrial agreements that were negotiated by Shorten is a bit strange, for this old industrial reporter at least. These agreements were reported at the time and were made under the relevant federal law, which included a no-disadvantage test. The point of dealing with the AWU from the point of view of employers was it presented as a more constructive union that its rival, the CFMEU. |
| This is a known known – but anyway, it would seem everything old is apparently new again, and perhaps there is some deep dark significance to this that will be revealed in the coming hours. | This is a known known – but anyway, it would seem everything old is apparently new again, and perhaps there is some deep dark significance to this that will be revealed in the coming hours. |
| That’s chunky enough for an opening post. I’ll continue to lead us in gently until Shorten appears, which we expect at around 10am. Then we’ll be live for the duration of his evidence, computer gods and other gods I can’t currently nominate willing. Touch wood. | That’s chunky enough for an opening post. I’ll continue to lead us in gently until Shorten appears, which we expect at around 10am. Then we’ll be live for the duration of his evidence, computer gods and other gods I can’t currently nominate willing. Touch wood. |
| The comments thread is open for business and you can give me a shout on Twitter @murpharoo | The comments thread is open for business and you can give me a shout on Twitter @murpharoo |
| Here comes B-day. | Here comes B-day. |
| Updated at 10.13am AEST | Updated at 10.13am AEST |