Julie Bishop slams ‘appalling’ jibes over Andrew Hastie mutilation accusation

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has fired back over reports a soldier-turned-Liberal candidate was involved in the mutilation of dead Taliban fighters.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Liberal candidate, Andrew Hastie.

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has fired back over reports a soldier-turned-Liberal candidate was involved in the mutilation of dead Taliban fighters.

Former SAS soldier Andrew Hastie, now candidate in the by-election for the WA seat of Canning, commanded a group accused of cutting hands off dead militants in Afghanistan.

Ms Bishop slammed reports of the accusations, and a WA Labor state MP who retweeted a jibe about Mr Hastie “chopping” hands off.

“I question the motivation of Fairfax for putting it on the front page when Andrew Hastie was not present,” Ms Bishop told ABC’s Insiders this morning.

“He was not there. He was in fact the officer who called for an investigation into the matter.

“(For) Labor MPs to now ridicule that soldier over the incident, because Andrew Hastie’s not involved, is simply appalling.”

Asked whether the September 19 by-election was make or break for Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s leadership, Ms Bishop said the campaign was “all about the people of Canning and their concerns”. “Of course, by-elections are always the subject of a national focus when it’s a federal by-election, and there will be a lot of focus,” she said.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Liberal candidate, Andrew Hastie.

Opposition frontbencher Brendan O’Connor says the contest will be about policy rather than personalities like the Liberals’ Andrew Hastie, who commanded a unit that was investigated for chopping off the hands of dead Taliban fighters.

“Clearly he has shown enormous courage and has been someone who has been defending this nation in very difficult conflict,” Mr O’Connor told Sky News this morning.

It comes as cabinet minister Mathias Cormann has demanded Opposition Leader Bill Shorten pull unions into line and stop a “racist, dog-whistling” campaign against Australia’s trade deal with China.

The topic was among politicians were keen to discuss on this morning’s weekend media circuit, along with the future of Royal Commissioner Dyson Heydon and the integrity of new Liberal candidate and former SAS officer Andrew Hastie.

Senator Cormann said the “racist dog whistle against China” was contrary to Australia’s national interest.

Several unions are stridently opposed to parts of the agreement they believe will allow Chinese companies to bring in cheap labour at the expense of Australian workers — something the government denies.

“Bill Shorten clearly doesn’t have the strength of character to do what needs to be done,” he told Network Ten this morning.

“By saying nothing, he’s effectively supporting this racist and dishonest union campaign against what is a very important free trade agreement for our country.” Labor wants a better explanation of the provisions under which companies can bring in workers, arguing the text of the deal does not explicitly lay out the safeguards the government says are included.

The government insists all the usual working visa “checks and balances” stay in place for work Chinese companies do in Australia under the agreement.

It stepped up the attack on Labor in parliament over the past week, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott accusing the opposition of wanting to bring back the White Australia policy.

Senator Cormann asked on Sunday why the unions were campaigning only against the China agreement, when the Abbott government had also completed trade deals with Korea and Japan.

“I suspect that the union movement is essentially just trying to take a generally protectionist approach, trying to hold back our economy in some sort of misguided view that this is better for their members,” he said.

“But it ain’t better.”

Impartial oversight ... Dyson Heydon leaves the Trade Union Royal Commission in Sydney. Picture: Adam Taylor

Royal commissioner under pressure

Senator Cormann this morning declined to offer advice to royal commissioner Dyson Heydon on whether he should step down.

Mr Heydon, who is presiding over the royal commission into union corruption, is considering his position after the unions accused him of perceived bias.

Their allegations follow his initial agreement to address a Liberal function — an invitation he later declined.

Asked on Ten Network on Sunday whether Mr Heydon should quit, Senator Cormann said: “I’m not going to give him advice.

“He’s considering these matters. He’s obviously a highly distinguished Australian. He has a great reputation for integrity.” Mr Heydon is expected to hand down his decision on whether he will stay in the role or resign on Tuesday.

Senator Cormann said the commission had been discovering “very concerning stuff” and this was all part of cleaning up sections of the economy so Australia could continue to grow and create more jobs.

“Obviously union corruption hurts our economy. It costs jobs, it imposes massive additional costs across the economy,” the finance minister said.

Labor is continuing its attacks on the commission and on Mr Heydon’s apparent conflict of interest.

Labor workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor believes the soft approach given to disgraced former union boss Kathy Jackson by the commission highlights its bias.

The Federal Court ordered last week that union whistleblower Jackson pay back $1.4 million to the Health Services Union after it found she misused funds.

“The way in which (the commission) treated Kathy Jackson as a witness with kid gloves compared to other witnesses illustrates the bias I think the council assisting the commissioner has shown towards witnesses,” Mr O’Connor told Sky