Note: it goes without saying, but from an abundance of caution I should note that no allegation of any impropriety at all is made against Shorten, who was a relatively junior official at the time. The questions instead are: what does Smith’s letter mean? What was done as a consequence? Did the AWU block moves for an inquiry or royal commission? Was Cambridge indeed “stopped” - and why? What steps did you take on becoming the secretary of the AWU Victorian branch in 1997 to investigate the scandal, recover misappropriated money and alert police and regulatory authorities to potential breaches of the law?
