Bikie lawyer advising Labor

A barrister who recently represented a bikie gang and an alleged Serbian war
criminal in the High Court is also advising the federal Labor Party on workplace
relations.
Bret Walker, SC, was hired by the ALP during the election as the Fair Work Act
emerged as a contentious campaign issue.
Only three months ago, Mr Walker represented the Finks Motorcycle Club in the High
Court as they challenged the validity of South Australia's anti-bikie laws.
A month earlier, in March, he unsuccessfully opposed the extradition to Croatia of
alleged Serbian war criminal Dragan Vasiljkovic, who is accused of killing Croatian
citizens as a paramilitary commander during the Yugoslav wars of the early to
mid-1990s.
Mr Walker's opinion in industrial relations was circulated to the media on Wednesday
to discredit Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's claim that a proposed $25 million
funding cut for union ballots would not undermine a campaign promise to leave
Labor's work laws untouched.
He said that cutting Australian Electoral Commission funding for industrial
elections would change section 464 of the Fair Work Act - disputing contrary legal
advice given to the opposition.



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