Senator CONROY (Victoria—Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (15:06): I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Employment (Senator Abetz) and the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) to questions without notice asked by Senators Conroy and Cameron today relating to the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption. As senators would be aware, today's article in The Australian by Pamela Williams contains explosive revelations about the Abbott government's politically motivated trade union royal commission. We already knew that the Prime Minister's hand-picked royal commissioner, Dyson Heydon, had inexplicably agreed to speak at a Liberal Party function. In recent weeks, we have also come to learn that Dyson Heydon and Counsel Assisting Jeremy Stoljar failed to disclose that they were tipped off about the forthcoming media storm. And, most recently, we have seen the unedifying spectacle of Dyson Heydon finding himself, surprisingly, clear of potential bias. If all of that were not enough to prove what Labor has been saying all along—that this royal commission is nothing more than a politically motivated witch-hunt set up by the Prime Minister to smear his political opponents—today's explosive revelations can leave nobody in doubt about the political motivations behind this royal commission and the biased behaviour of the royal commissioner and his staff. Thanks to the investigative journalism of Pamela Williams, we have learned today from the royal commission's own file notes—the royal commission's own documents—that the royal commission staff helped—coached, no less—Ms Kathy Jackson. This is a smoking gun. It fatally compromises this outrageous politically-motivated royal commission. Instead of investigating trade union corruption, the supposed basis for this royal commission, today we have learned that the royal commission was protecting a corrupt witness, Kathy Jackson, to cover up her thefts—was protecting a corrupt witness to protect her from disclosure of her own corrupt stealing, rather than fulfilling its supposed mandate— Senator Bushby: Oh, you've established it? Senator CONROY: I do not have to establish anything, Senator, because a court of law in this land has found Kathy Jackson guilty of stealing $1.4 million. And this is what the royal commission did, instead of its job; it said: 'We're not going to investigate allegations against Kathy Jackson; we are going to give you, Ms Jackson, the opportunity to attack the people who made the allegations against you, which you have subsequently been proved guilty of.' So let me be very clear about this: it is not simply Labor's contention that this outrageous witness-coaching took place; it is not even The Australian's contention. It is in black and white in the royal commission's own documentation. Let me read directly from a file note of a telephone call between Kathy Jackson, Fiona Roughley and Matthew Ashworth. I am sure everyone in this chamber—especially Senator Abetz, who is a regular telephone correspondent with her—knows who she is. But the royal commission staff's own notes reveal that Ms Roughley told Kathy Jackson that the royal commission had obtained material relating to her slush fund. For those who are not aware, this innocuously named 'national health development account' is none other than her slush fund, that she raided for $284,000—plus the rest. And this is what was said, from the file note: 'The commission intends— Senator McKenzie: Time! Time! Time! Senator CONROY: to hold the hearing as there is a good chance— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator, your time has expired. Yes, thank you, Senator McKenzie; I was somewhat distracted.