Senator RYAN (Victoria—Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training) (15:25): I did my best to listen to the contributions, word for word, of Senator Sterle and Senator Collins to this motion as they spoke earlier this afternoon. I thought I captured all of Senator Sterle's assertions of the relevant facts, but it is important in this case to actually outline that those facts do not support the conclusion that those opposite have arrived at. The single, most important fact here is that, upon realising and upon being made aware of it—a fact to which he has admitted—Justice Heydon made it clear he would not address that particular function. He did not actually undertake any activity that is party political. Let us put this in context as I try not to assign a motive to those with whom I have a different view. If there were some consistency in approach from those opposite, one would not have to do this. I cannot help but refer to some other instances where I have not heard any expression of outrage from those opposite. In these instances the lectures were delivered, the functions were held, the person in question turned up and gave the address. It is the exact opposite of what Justice Heydon has done in this case, when he, rightly, said it would be inappropriate for him to deliver the address. He made that clear and released all the facts immediately upon him becoming aware of them. On 11 November last year, and fortuitously for the Labor Party I realise that some were discussing the Sir Garfield Barwick Address, His Honour Judge Greg Woods delivered the Frank Walker Memorial Lecture to the New South Wales Society of Labor Lawyers. Senator Conroy interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Ryan, just resume your seat. Senator Ryan. Senator RYAN: Thank you, Mr Deputy President. Before anyone rises to correct me, it is Labor Lawyers spelt simply with an O as in L-A-B-O-R. It is not any suggestion that it is a small L or people simply working in labour law. I might also say, as was highlighted in the other place within the last hour, that Justices Gaudron, McHugh and Kirby all addressed Labor Lawyers functions, but there was no cry from those opposite. Again, it is immediately apparent to anyone that examines the facts in this case that Justice Heydon, upon realising this function was associated with the Liberal Party, immediately made clear that it was not appropriate for him to do it and withdrew from the function. This is where we get to the truth of the matter. I have rarely seen such— Senator Conroy interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Ryan, resume your seat. I ask the Senate to come to order, and Senator Ryan should be heard in silence. Senator RYAN: Thank you, Mr Deputy President. I have, in my seven-and-a-bit years in this place, rarely seem such contrived and confected outrage. One can only go to the motive of those opposite. As the news of endemic corruption in certain parts of Australia's labour movement bleeds out across the country, in an attempt to refer the pain or hide it, the Labor Party opposite sort of stubs its toe and tries to contrive some outrage of an event that did not occur. The most important fact here is that Justice Heydon immediately withdrew. Those opposite are trying to pull together issues of the cost of a royal commission and issues of the timing of emails. They will not accept at face value the word of the commissioner and they try to imply that, somehow, there is a party political activity happening here, and it simply did not happen. There is no debate over that fact; it did not occur. I note that Senator Collins, in her contribution during question time, referred to the cost of the royal commission. Quite rightly, given the scale of racketeering and illegal conduct in certain parts of the labour movement, particularly in my home state of Victoria, particularly here in the ACT as has already been brought to public attention by this commission, the costs to the community in terms of public infrastructure—every hospital we build, every private building of any significant size and all our infrastructure—are much, much greater. This is an attempt at diversion. It is an attempt at diversion from the news that the Labor Party opposite is desperate that the Australian people not know. They do not want the Australian people to know that their masters, their mistresses, those who they work for, those who control their preselections, those who control and provide their slush funds, are involved in serious activity that is being uncovered by this royal admission and has already led to activity in the justice space which I will not go into in any more detail. Before anyone mentions any other events, that is the simple point that the Labor Party is trying to hide.