Bill Shorten unions royal commission: Labor leader blindsided

The union corruption royal commission appears to have blindsided Bill Shorten with questions about a former staffer.

Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten gives evidence before the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption.

The union corruption royal commission appears to have blindsided Bill Shorten this morning with its first series of questions about a former staffer, Lance Wilson, who was “donated” to the Opposition Leader’s election campaign by labour hire company Unibilt.

Jeremy Stoljar, counsel assisting the Commission, told the hearing that Mr Wilson, a researcher at Unibuilt, was hired as the Australian Workers Union and Unibuilt were beginning negotiations on an enterprise bargaining agreement in 2007.

Mr Shorten entered parliament that year.

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Asked about Mr Wilson’s hiring, Mr Shorten said: “He seemed like a good cut of a fellow, young, and new but you know enthusiastic and you’ve got to get a start somewhere”.

Mr Stoljer asked: “Did you tell him that the company was going to be paying his wages?”

Mr Shorten replied: “Maybe not initially. I had to ... have had a think about where can I find the resources … Mr Lockyer was good enough to offer the opportunity.”

The subsequent EBA with Unibilt was executed by the Victorian branch, Mr Shorten said, after he had moved to the position of national secretary.

Mr Shorten said: “I make this point ... the Unibilt negotiations were done by the Victorian branch, I no longer have a line of sight with to the Victorian branch and this is certainly one ... you’ve got your organisers who do the bargaining.”

Dealings between the AWU and the managing director of Unibilt, Ted Lockyer, were aired at previous Commission hearings, during evidence given by Cesar Melhem, who succeeded Mr Shorten as the union’s Victorian secretary.

“I’ve asked them to do some work on behalf of Industry 2020,” Mr Melhem told the inquiry. “They’re doing analysis on various AWU members’ voting patterns.”