Bill Shorten wants to replace the $60M trade union royal commission with a Shorten v Abbott town hall debate
Sunday, 12 July 2015
Bill Shorten has lost it. He wants to replace the TURC with a town hall debate between himself and Tony Abbott.
Shorten hasn't said a thing about the crimes and corruption investigated and reported on by the TURC. He must have convinced himself that it's all made up.
The TURC is a $60M+ authority with coercive powers to compel witnesses to give truthful evidence, an in-house police task-force, telephone intercept powers, cross-examinations under oath and a wide-ranging remit set out in its Letters Patent. The Commission's Interim Report advised the Government of "grave threats to the authority of the Australian State" arising from union corruption.
But none of that counts to Bill. It should be replaced with a "for one night only" mega spectacular Shorten v Abbott debate. All the problems will just disappear after that hey Bill?
Here's the report of Shorten's on-the-record comments in Melbourne today.
"If Mr Abbott has the courage of his convictions, he shouldn't be hiding behind a royal commission to do his political dirty work," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.
"Have a debate with me in parliament or in any town hall about workplace relations."
But the government has urged the public to stay tuned for further revelations.
"I think there's a lot more to be seen here," Employment Minister Eric Abetz told the Ten Network on Sunday.