New Thomson evidence raised: Abetz

28 May 2012, 1:50 pm   -   Source: AAP

Liberal frontbencher Eric Abetz says Senate estimates hearing evidence should be put to the privileges committee examining Craig Thomson.

The federal coalition says evidence given by Fair Work Australia (FWA) at a Senate hearing on Monday should be considered by the privileges committee investigating Craig Thomson.

The committee is considering whether Mr Thomson misled parliament in a statement he gave last week.

FWA has found Mr Thomson misused around $500,000 in union member funds when he was Health Services Union national secretary from 2002 to 2007.

Its investigation also found that for several months after his election to parliament Mr Thomson continued to use an HSU credit card.

Mr Thomson in his speech denied any wrongdoing, vowed to fight all of the findings in the Federal Court and raised questions about the fairness of FWA investigator Terry Nassios and FWA vice-president Michael Lawler.

The MP also raised the prospect that his mobile phone - which FWA found was used to call escort services - had been hacked by another person and that his driver's licence was available to other union officials to deal with right of entry issues.

Liberal frontbencher Eric Abetz, who questioned FWA officials at a Senate estimates hearing on Monday, said the hearing generated a large amount of evidence that should be considered by the privileges committee.

"Today we've had confirmation that the suggestion of phone hacking was only put to Fair Work Australia after they sent draft findings to him (Mr Thomson) and the Labor-funded lawyers then sent in that submission," Senator Abetz told reporters in Canberra.

"Further we heard from Fair Work Australia the allegations against two senior officers have been completely and utterly dismissed.

"So we had all these straw men that were served up to us and this government authority ... absolutely blowing Mr Thomson's cover."

The time had come for the parliament to consider whether "this serial misleading" was something the House of Representatives was willing to tolerate.

Senator Abetz said Mr Thomson was also wrong to have claimed the FWA report only covered his time as a union official, as it was clear there were 15 examples of his use of a HSU credit card when he was an MP.

He said the crossbenchers in the lower house who support the minority government needed to examine the estimates hearing record.

"These are matters that specifically go to the heart of the running of the parliament," Senator Abetz said.

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