You might recall we reported on Bill Shorten's evidence to the 2002 Cole Royal Commission - where under oath he told the Commission he wasn't aware of any instances of the AWU doing bulk deals with employers to pay bulk union memberships (as opposed to payroll deductions membership schemes).

http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2015/06/bill-shortens-sworn-testimony-to-the-cole-royal-commission-should-be-revisited.html

Dino Stranos the owner of Winslow Constructions gave evidence that he'd had a relationship with the AWU going back to the 1990s and named Bill Shorten as one of his key contacts.   Here's a copy of one of many Winslow Agreements with the AWU - this one dated December 2004.

https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/awards/tracee/agreements/pdf/AG838033.pdf 

Here's the signature page

Here's the front page

Just to remove any confusion, the practice of Winslow paying for bulk union memberships (rather than payroll deductions for named individuals) only ceased two years ago - here's the MD Dino Strano to the Royal Commission last week:

Who did you deal with after that?

There's been a variety of people from, you know, Bill Shorten, Peter Smoljko, Cesar and various organisers the years, yes. 

When did the practice stop?

Two years ago. 

Why did it stop?

Well, it stopped because when the Liberal Government came in in Victoria they set up a Code Compliance Unit, and  I had a number of visits by officers from Code Compliance. We had some of our sites visited that were Victorian Government jobs, and then I said - this practice of paying for membership, I decided to get - in view of the new regime and the new compliance that was required to meet the Code Compliance Unit, I sought legal advice, and the legal advice came back that, "We suggest that you stop the practice", and I took the legal advice and stopped that practice.

And here's more evidence from Mr Strano on the difference:

Fairfax reports on some of this today:

Shorten deal with builder 'weakens union'

Bill Shorten oversaw a controversial deal under which a Melbourne builder paid his union hundreds of thousands of dollars over a decade for its employees' union dues.

The deal, with builder Winslow Constructors has been criticised by current Australian Workers Union state secretary Ben Davis, who told the Royal Commission into union corruption it had  "profoundly" weakened the union's industrial position in the workplace.

Receipts and emails provided to the inquiry show that in 2005, Mr Shorten's Australian Workers Union Victorian branch invoiced Winslow Constructors for $38,228.68 to pay for 105 union memberships. The invoice shows the AWU requesting payment from the company in 2004/5.

Separate documents indicate the payments continued at a similar rate the following financial year when Mr Shorten, now opposition leader, was still branch secretary.

Deals such as Winslow's boosted the AWU membership numbers and, in turn, Mr Shorten's factional power within the Labor Party, including over preselection of parliamentary candidates.

The practice of companies paying membership dues is frowned on by many unions but appears to have been commonplace for the AWU for many years.

Mr Shorten's office did not respond to questions about the deal, including whether it was common for the AWU to receive money for members' dues when he ran the union, or what Winslow received in return for paying the union.