Australian opposition leader facing corruption test

Australia's opposition leader keen to be the nation's next prime minister had his credibility and reputation questioned by one of the country's most senior judicial figures at a major investigation into corruption on Thursday.

An on-going Australian Royal Commission is investigating widespread claims of corruption between unions representing workers and employers.

The federal opposition leader Bill Shorten was brought before the commission on Thursday and Friday to answer allegations surrounding the financial dealings of the Australian Workers Union (AWU) of which he was head of.

When questioned on Thursday for details surrounding the financial dealings totaling 780,000 Australian dollars (584,000 U. S. dollars) of payments to the AWU by two companies in 2007, Royal Commissioner Dyson Heydon at one point rebuked Shorten's evasive answers.

"A lot of your answers are non-responsive, some are responsive but then add something that isn't responsive," Heydon said.

"You, if I can be frank about it, have been criticized in the newspapers in the last few weeks and I think it's generally believed that you have come here in the hope you will be able to rebut that criticism or a lot of it.

"I'm not very troubled about that though I can understand that you are and it's legitimate for you to use this occasion to achieve your ends in that regard. What I'm concerned about more is your credibility as a witness."

The commissioners comments were instantly reported by local media as Shorten attempted to defend himself corruption allegations as persistent questioning by the royal commission's legal council continued through Thursday.

Shorten, who was elected to parliament in late 2007, was publicly supported by his colleagues from the federal opposition Labor party, which he leads, throughout his testimony which ended on Thursday.

The Royal Commission into union and business corruption continues. Endi