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ARTICLE · 01 APRIL 2014

Royal Commission Into Union Corruption Will Also Put Corporations Under The Spotlight

Jones Day
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Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the creation of a Royal Commission to inquire into corruption and financial impropriety around trade unions.

AustraliaEmployment and HR
Adam Salter
Adam Salter
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On 10 February 2014, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the creation of a Royal Commission to inquire into corruption and financial impropriety around trade unions. The primary objectives of the Royal Commission will be to report publicly on the prevalence and patterns of bribery, fraud and financial mismanagement in and around trade unions, to assess whether the framework for regulating and investigating trade union conduct is adequate and to make recommendations for any legislative reform that it thinks is appropriate.

Trade unions are presently primarily regulated by the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (Cth) and monitored by the FWC, but (as mentioned in our December 2013/January 2014 Edition) the Abbott government believes those arrangements are inadequate and has proposed substantial reforms. The Royal Commission's establishment follows numerous allegations of trade union officials' involvement in bribery, fraud, embezzlement,

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