Senator Ludwig: The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations has provided the following answer to the honourable senator’s question: 1. The Government intervened in the Federal Court proceeding concerning the Health Services Union (HSU) because it was concerned that the interests of HSU members across Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT were not being properly served due to the evident dysfunction within the HSU East Branch, and to ensure the broader public interest in working Australians having effective and accountable union representation is not undermined. 2. Advice was first sought on 27 March 2012. 3. The Government liaised with, and the Government’s intervention was supported by, the National Office of the HSU, the ACTU, UnionsNSW and other branches and individual members of the HSU.