Unions Royal Commission is Murphy’s Law

THE totally unprincipled attempt to oust Commissioner Dyson Heydon from the Royal Commission Into Trade Union Governance And Corruption is deceitfully based on the most dishonest of premises.

The charge being shamelessly brayed by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, a former AWU boss whose credibility came under serious attack on his initial appearance before the commission — there will be more — is that the former High Court Justice may have given the perception of bias because he rejected an invitation to deliver the Sir Garfield Barwick address at a function organised by a group of barristers and lawyers associated in a minor Liberal Party grouping. Shorten, and his union allies, are improperly attempting to derail the commission now, or, should they be unsuccessful in that endeavour, to do their utmost to discredit its future findings. The reason is obvious, though those who rely on Fairfax or the ABC for their news would not know because those organisations are ignoring the squalid truths revealed by the commission. Labor, and its trade union puppeteers, is taking a huge hit. Thirty individuals, including 26 union and former union ­officials, have so far been referred to 11 agencies for possible charges — and there will be more charges to follow as the commission runs its course. Contrary to the claims by Shorten and his gang, the commission is running under budget and is working in the interests of honest Australians in uncovering the union rackets that have seen millions diverted from the pockets of workers and into the bank accounts of the ALP and selected union bosses. Brazenly, Shorten is claiming Commissioner Heydon must disqualify himself for an act he did not commit, though the record shows that there is a conga line of senior Labor judges who have delighted in addressing revolution-red Labor organisations or speaking publicly about Labor issues without a scruple and without attracting the slightest opprobrium from those who now claim their moral sensibilities are offended. On Labor issues, one need look no further than former High Court Justice Michael Kirby’s delivery of the inaugural Lionel Murphy Lecture at Sydney University. It was October 28, 1987, and just a year after the controversial High Court Justice died during the course of an investigation into his alleged misbehaviour, which included alleged association with a string of disreputable figures including notoriously corrupt NSW identities. Justice Kirby, a Labor saint, used the opportunity to stridently attack a reasoned critique of the deceased High Court Justice that was written by academic Mark Cooray. Labor saw no problem with a sitting judge being the keynote speaker at a function sponsored by the Fabian Society — an organisation which was formed to promote the policies and influence the ideas of the Left, particularly the ALP — taking a highly political position on a consummate Labor politician. Prime Minister Tony Abbott noted that Mr Justice Kirby also addressed the Society of Labor Lawyers while sitting on the NSW Court of Appeal, that Justice Mary Gaudron addressed the Society of Labor Lawyers while a High Court judge, and Justice Michael McHugh addressed the Society of Labor Lawyers while on the NSW Court of Appeal, but he had the grace and decency not to attach or impugn the integrity of any of these individuals. The contrast between his courtesy and the unsavoury and unjustified attacks made on Mr Justice Heyden by Shorten and his unscrupulous union mates is absolutely breathtaking. The lengths Labor has gone to historically to protect the questionable reputations of its heroes is staggering. Attempting to unseat a sitting royal commissioner is in line with the unprecedented actions it took to prevent the public EVER learning about the dubious actions and associations enjoyed by former Labor Attorney-General and former Labor-appointed High Court Justice Lionel Murphy 29 years ago. On Justice Murphy’s death during the course of a commission of inquiry, Labor attorney-general Lionel Bowen in 1986 moved to “protect from access and publication any allegations against Justice Murphy ... documents which contain any material relating to the conduct of Justice Murphy, provision is made ... to exclude access under any Federal, State or Territory law, including the Freedom of Information Act, 1982, the Archives Act, 1983, and any law which provides for the production of documents.” With the assistance of the new Australian Democrats leader Janine Haines, that blanket suppression was amended in the Senate to remove the fine of $100,000 on corporations which published the allegations against Murphy, and to restrict penalties of $5000 and/or six months in prison to members of the investigating commission, its staff, and legal counsel. In the face of genuine public uproar, Labor prime minister Bob Hawke sealed the Murphy papers in September 1986 for 30 years. This time round, a totally conflicted Labor Party wants even more. It is being utterly cynical in its attempt to remove an honourable man of scrupulous integrity and reputation from pursuing those who have corruptly defrauded workers and brought the union movement into unqualified disrepute.