In the jargon of the moment, Dyson Heydon – the royal commissioner who has been putting trade union officials and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on the spot – finds himself struggling with the sniff test…
Tony Abbott’s leadership ratings and his standing as preferred prime minister have improved, but only to the point where he is roughly at level pegging with Bill Shorten.
Bill Shorten’s appearance at the royal commission has not only damaged him but diverted a good deal of attention from the signs of division and tension at senior levels of the Abbott government.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten failed until the last few days to declare that a labour hire company paid for his full-time campaign director in the run-up to his election to parliament in 2007.
When Bill Shorten was asked by the Royal Commission into union corruption to appear before it, he said he wouldn’t be commenting on allegations about his time as an Australian Workers Union official until he gave evidence.
Bill Shorten’s July 8 appearance before the royal commission into union corruption is crucial for his credibility and has major implications for his leadership.
In an effort to deal with the political fallout of his union past, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has asked the royal commission into union corruption to bring forward his appearance to July.
Bill Shorten will give evidence at the royal commission into union corruption, which is probing the conduct of the Australian Workers Union, of which he is a former Victorian and national secretary.