Improper to push FWA on Thomson: PM

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she won’t tell Fair Work Australia (FWA) when to release its report on MP Craig Thomson because it would be highly improper.

It was quite wrong for the opposition to ask her to do that, she told ABC Television.

Ms Gillard said that would be akin to her ringing up the chief justice of the High Court and asking for the court to come out with a particular decision in a particular time.

Neither would she ring up the police commissioner and ask for police to investigate a particular matter within a particular time.

“And I’m not going to ring up the independent industrial umpire and do that either,” Ms Gillard said.

“That would be grossly improper and it’s grossly improper of the opposition to call for it.”

Mr Thomson, the former secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU), has denied allegations that he used union credit cards for prostitutes and cash withdrawals between 2002 and 2007.

Fair Work Australia has spent almost four years conducting an investigation, now tipped to be concluded in March.

Ms Gillard rejected a comparison with her criticism of the High Court decision last year which torpedoed the government’s Malaysia asylum-seeker solution.

She said the High Court made a decision properly and independently, as it should.

“I had some things to say about that decision after it was brought down,” she said.

Ms Gillard said the opposition was now asking her to ring up the independent industrial umpire while still dealing with a matter and tell them what to do next.

“That’s wrong and I won’t do it and it’s wrong for the opposition to ask for it,” she said.

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