Unions probe gets more time
Tony Abbott will get the final royal commission report into union corruption in the short shadow of the next election after the Federal Government extended the inquiry's deadline and widened the dragnet.
Attorney-General George Brandis said yesterday Commissioner Dyson Heydon would be given an extra year to amass more evidence of corrupt and illegal conduct by union officials.
Senator Brandis said he had also agreed to broaden the royal commission's terms of reference, as recommended by Mr Heydon, to include "any criminal or otherwise unlawful act or omission".
The new deadline is December 31, 2015, meaning any Government response will likely come just before Australians next vote in a Federal election.
The commission has already heard allegations that companies involved in oil and gas projects off WA's North West bought "industrial peace" with the Maritime Union of Australia by donating to a fund the union set up.
Former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard appeared before the inquiry to answer questions about a union slush fund she helped set up for a union client more than 20 years ago.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's old union has been accused of overseeing a deal under which mushroom pickers were paid less in exchange for payments of $4000-a-month for what the union claimed was for health and safety training.
Mr Heydon said his inquiry had uncovered widespread physical and verbal violence, cartel conduct, secondary boycotts and contempt of court.
"Some officials appear to regard their unions as having immunity not only from the norms and sanctions of the legal system, but also any social or community standard shared by other Australians," he said in a letter to Senator Brandis on October 2.
Senator Brandis said the inquiry's extension would cost $8 million. He denied the extension was motivated by the timing of the next election.
Labor has questioned the Government's priorities, saying it took just five days for it to extend the royal commission into trade unions but 64 days to agree to a request for more time and funding for the royal commission into institutional child abuse.
