Julia Gillard got a bit bewitched by budgie-smuggling Tony, now Bill's falling into the trap.

Here he is at a press conference today to sell the message that he's a leader not a follower.

(Thanks to Nathan Lee for the edited video from today's Shorten leadership masterclass)

Bill, look what happened last time a Labor leader started to obsess over Tone.

PS - Bill,when in doubt consult the KRudd playbook.

Here, Krudd preaches on negative politics and Labor's positive plans for the future.    

Is it just me, or does Bill sound like he's had a few before recording the speech?

Bill and his people are in cloud cuckoo land with this comment:

Tony Abbott and the Liberals had a red hot go this week at trying to distract us from what they've really been up to. But Tony Abbott’s Royal Commissions won’t make us forget his attacks on Medicare, his plans for $100,000 degrees, cuts to pensions, and his bizarre war on renewable energy.

I think you were the focus of attention Bill, not a lot to do with Tony Abbott.   

I’ve spent my whole adult life standing up for the pay and conditions of working Australians — and I’m not about to stop now.

No matter what Tony Abbott and the Liberals throw at us, Labor’s record stands proud against WorkChoices.

At the Beaconsfield mine disaster I saw first-hand how important workplace safety is. And as Parliamentary Secretary, I fought for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I want to keep on building on that important work and form the next Government.

Telling Australians about Labor's positive plan for the future, compared to Tony Abbott’s plans to drag us back to the past, is important if we want to win the next election. That’s why I’ve recorded a quick message about my vision for Australia: and as a dedicated Labor supporter, I wanted you to see it first.

Can you watch and share my message to every Australian that I’m ready to stand up for Australia’s future?

Tony Abbott and the Liberals had a red hot go this week at trying to distract us from what they've really been up to. But Tony Abbott’s Royal Commissions won’t make us forget his attacks on Medicare, his plans for $100,000 degrees, cuts to pensions, and his bizarre war on renewable energy.

If Tony Abbott wants us to focus on Labor’s record of standing up for the pay and conditions of working people, instead of the lies he told to get into office or his $80 billion in cuts to schools and hospitals, then so be it.

But I want Australians to know I am more determined than ever to stand up for a future that makes good schools, good hospitals and good jobs accessible to every Australian.

Thanks for standing with me on this,

Bill

PS You can watch my message to Australians in full here. Give it a share too so others know I’m ready to take on Tony Abbott!

Bill Shorten's appearance at the Trade Union Corruption Royal Commission dominated the ABC's Insiders program today.

Barrie Cassidy made his feelings known on Friday in this piece for ABC The Drum.

Perspective is missing on Bill Shorten's royal commission appearance

OPINION

Updated Fri at 10:01am

Of all that is wrong with Australian society, why should Bill Shorten's union activities of a decade ago take precedence? Barrie Cassidy writes.

Barrie reckons perspective was missing from Shorten's appearance at the TURC, well it must be contagious, because perspective on Shorten's evidence had gone walkabout from Insiders  today.

Here's a link to the Insiders opening segment on Shorten today - its key message?  Shorten took 900 questions, reminiscent of the Julia Gillard AWU Scandal press conference.   Then there was the smart-arsed criticism of the Royal Commissioner.

To understand Commissioner Heydon's advice from the Bench to Shorten about his oral evidence you have to understand what that evidence was and how it was delivered.

Commissioner Heydon spoke to Shorten after hearing about 6 hours of often rambling, often evasive and non-responsive grandstanding speeches in answer to simple questions.   Senior Counsel Assisting had just asked Shorten if he was evading questions, a serious offence. Others won't use my description of Shorten's evidence, but it should be reported at the very least, that the Commissioner spoke to Shorten only after 6 hours of listening to inappropriate responses and after a warning from Counsel Assisting.   

These are legal proceedings with profound consequences, not a soap box for political speeches

Here's the whole Insiders report, nothing about the quality of Shorten's evidence, just this "politically motivated smear" from the Commissioner.

 This grab will give you some idea.

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.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/bill-shorten-challenges-prime-minister-tony-abbott-to-debate-on-unions-20150712-giah76.html#ixzz3fetMOrnw

Bill Shorten's dodgy $30K back-strain research for the mates at Thiess is straight out of the Bruce Wilson sham consultant copybook - here's a deadly report from The Age, 25 September 1995

One of Australia's leading construction companies, Thiess Contractors Pty Ltd, paid $25,000 to a trade union to clear the way for the use of contaminated soil in Melbourne's Western Ring Road project.

Under a deal between the Australian Workers Union and Thiess in January 1994, a large amount of soil containing low levels of lead, asbestos and other contaminants was used to construct sections of the $600 million Government-funded project.

According to documents obtained by The Age, the AWU Victorian branch agreed to lift work bans preventing use of the contaminated soil after the company withdrew threats of stand-downs, and offered to pay for a union-organised site study.

Union officials now say the study never took place, and the terms of the payment were never made public.

The AWU's national manager of occupational health and safety, Mr Yossi Berger, imposed the bans because of concerns about the health impact of the soil.

Both vigorously opposed the use of the soil but were overruled by the then secretary of the AWU Victorian branch, Mr Bruce Wilson, who negotiated a unilateral deal with Thiess. Mr Wilson resigned as union secretary last month.

The deal is expected to form part of a Victoria Police major fraud group investigation into the operations of the union's national construction branch.

The 1994 dispute centred on plans by Thiess to use about 115,000 cubic metres of contaminated soil from two sites in Footscray and Maribyrnong as fill in the construction of two overpasses and a stretch of the ring road in Laverton North.

The EPA yesterday confirmed that the soil was used on the site, between February and July 1994, with its approval and according to strict environmental guidelines.

While details of the peace deal between the union and Thiess were never publicly discussed, senior union officials were shocked when the company confirmed earlier this month that it paid the AWU Victorian branch $25,000 for the alleged study.

Mr Berger said he was amazed by the amount of the payment because no study had ever been organised or carried out. Given his position he would have known if a study was done, he said.

A former senior AWU official at the centre of the dispute was also adamant no study was carried out.

Mr Boyd said the payment was effectively hush money in return for letting the company use contaminated soil.

According to Mr Boyd, construction workers employed on the project may have been exposed to deadly contaminants. Mr Boyd also opposed the plan because it could set a dangerous precedent.

An EPA spokeswoman confirmed that another construction company, Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd, also received permission to use contaminated soil for road fill, in March this year.

Details of the payment emerged during a meeting between the national secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (building division), Mr John Sutton, and senior Thiess officials on 4 September, in Sydney.

Mr Sutton said Thiess's national manager of human resources, Mr Paul Darrouzet, told him the company had made only one payment, of $25,000, to the rival AWU, which was ``in respect to contaminated soil (and) a joint study into road work".

Mr Darrouzet allegedly told Mr Sutton that the Victorian Trades Hall Council and Mr Berger approved of the deal and knew of the amount paid.

But in a letter to Thiess on 7 September, Mr Boyd demanded an apology, saying he ``did not know of, or participate in any way, in any exchange of money between Thiess and the AWU".

Thiess subsequently acknowledged the mistake, saying that all relevant payments to the AWU had been ``processed through our usual creditor's system, following the receipt of invoice".

The AWU's joint national secretary, Mr Ian Cambridge, denied any knowledge of the deal.

``It comes as a surprise," he said. ``We had no knowledge and it is just another matter, along with all the other matters, that will be thoroughly investigated" (by the Victoria Police major fraud group).

Bulk union memberships, sham advertising, false training invoices and bogus consultancies - this week at the Trade Union Royal Commission was just like re-living Bruce Wilson's reign at the AWU.  

Mr Stoljar opened Thursday's session by quizzing Bill Shorten on $100,000 annual payments from Thiess/John Holland.

Mr Stoljar to Shorten, “Is this a bogus invoice (below) claiming for work never done?”

Shorten:,“I would never be party to issuing bogus invoices, full stop.”

Mr Shorten said he expected the invoice for the back strain research would have been for a service that had “either been conducted or is going to be conducted”.

“I don’t recall (the research), but it would have been done if the invoice was issued,” he said.

Mr Stoljar said other evidence presented to the royal commission suggested the AWU did not conduct the research.

“These invoices are issued by my accounts department,” Mr Shorten said.

“I can’t say explicitly what was triggering them, but in terms of back strain, that is a huge issue in civil construction and heavy industry.

Stoljar, "I wasn't asking whether it was a huge issue. What I am asking you is in the period leading up to 18 January 2006, was research work done by the AWU Vic in relation to back strain?"

Shorten, "I can't say, I don't recall it, but I believe it would have been if the invoice is issued.".

Here's the invoice:

And here's the request for invoice - check the detail!

Nothing is off-limits to these people.

There's a very big trap here for Labor.   Labor's mantra - that the Royal Commission is a witch-hunt, waste of money, political show-trials etc - is starting to wear very thin.  Every new revelation reinforces the reasons for setting the TURC up in the first place, and the revelations are currently coming thick and fast.

You'd expect anyone who  cares about trade unions to react at first with shock, then with a commitment to flush out the bad people and culture.

Labor reacts with dismissal, denigration, downplaying the seriousness of the findings etc.   If the Party persists with that line, it may find itself confirming to more and more voters that it is the Party that endorses crime and bad behaviour.   

Labor has recent form - in first delaying the Craig Thomson investigations, then in paying for Thomson's legal bills.  Its reacton to the TURC revelations is more of the same.   You can't defend the indefensible - and you can't start to reform yourself until you admit you have a problem. 

On that score, Labor clearly has a long way to go.

Here's a quick statement from Senator Eric Abetz, the Minister for Employment, setting out some of what the Commission's uncovered.

Statement - Royal Commission