Bill Shorten unions royal commission: AWU leadership stand by their man

The leadership of the Australian Workers Union today stood by Bill Shorten despite his royal commission evidence.

Bill Shorten leaving the royal commission today.

The leadership of the Australian Workers Union have today stood by Bill Shorten despite his evidence at the trade union royal commission that he oversaw deals that left workers worse off than they would have been under award wages when he was the union’s national secretary.

Under intense questioning today, Mr Shorten admitted he received political donations in the form of wages for a staffer and failed to declare those donations at the time, and also that a deal the AWU signed with a cleaning company while he was union secretary was not in workers’ best interests.

However the men who succeeded Mr Shorten at the AWU defended their former leader.

Scott McDine, who became national secretary of the AWU when his predecessor and Mr Shorten’s immediate successor Paul Howes resigned last year, said: “Throughout his entire career with the Australian Workers’ Union Bill Shorten was unwavering in his commitment to advancing the interests of working people.”

Mr McDine added: “During his time with the AWU he was always diligent in his pursuit of better lives for working people. This diligence has clearly been carried on into his post-union career, most obviously with his dogged efforts to secure a National Disability Insurance Scheme.”

Ben Davis, the union’s Victorian secretary, a position also previously held by Mr Shorten, said: “Having worked alongside Bill Shorten during his time as leader of the Victorian branch I was always impressed by his work ethic and his decency.”

He added: “Bill was a tough, ethical, and pragmatic union leader who worked hard to achieve the best deal possible on behalf of our members.”

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