Here's a brief summary of the issue, Lexi - from 2003 by Margo Kingston.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/22/1061529330032.html

Lexi poirots link will help you.
And while new Matilda is not always a good source it is in this matter.
One Nation and Pauline Hanson won rapid support.
From all sides, while some will, and I think you and Poirot fit think this, that she was a bit racist.
She actually spoke for many of this country's voters.
Her meetings drew big crowds.
Labor and Liberal lost votes to her.
Slush fund? dislike the term, never saw it used in the AWU.
BUT Abbott ran one, from big Liberal supporters he single handedly put two one nation people in prison.
Then stole the policy,s of one nation, essentially what we see as Tea Party policy,s.
A day of reckoning is coming for the extreme right.
Trust the voters they usually get it right.
Now slush fund, trust me, my beloved AWU was in other hands back then.
Very bad hands, service did not exist, the nearest I senior Delegate, came to seeing an official for 3 years was bumping in to one having lunch, 300 meters from my workplace, with no intention to visit us.
An officers election fund was born under the new leaders of the union AFTER an amalgamation.
Bill Shorten drove a far better union, after its true near death.
No donation bay weekly sub from wages of union officers, ever went in to that fund.
It exists to see money to help them get elected IF challenged and is returned every 4 years if no challenge takes place
continued

Now why do I think a day of judgment is coming to the extreme right?
First Labors loss seems unavoidable.
High expectations have been made by Abbott based on non core promises to be dumped after the election.
And a total lack of the ability to gaze at their own belly button, to self judge
Victoria is much more than likely to return to Labor, an extraordinary thing after one term.
NSW and QLD will be worthy of watching two years in to a Liberal federal government.
Slush fund? we can see a disregard for truth in the AWU slush fund case.
It was a fraud by maggots on the union, the givers of those funds.
The union DID NOT EVER KNOW until it was too late.
The question has to be, why did those firms give so much, why did they not check its honesty.
I took $1.000 offered not requested donations at this time of year for a mass Christmas party.
A bus load of Children disabled kids, came at times to be freely given the same as our members kids.
I gave receipts for it
NO LINK can be made between todays AWU or even the one that existed then.
A fraud WAS COMMITTED ON BOTH UNION ITS MEMBERS AND THE DONORS, THE DONORS MUST ONE DAY EXPLAIN WHY THEY REFUSED TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE GRUBS.

Lexi,

Welcome back. However, your comment:

"And so it goes on. However, perhaps I am naive, but I didn't realize that the role of governments was to save money. I thought it was to provide services."

Then the Greek government must be your role model. The role of government is to provide the most service that can be provided whilst balancing the budget. A role that Labor has failed spectacularly in time and time again.

David, I respect your view that you do not want The Greens to obtain power. I on the other hand believe we can 'do the job' without the corruption the old parties embrace.
Here is a link to Reuters on the German Greens, what is your opinion?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/07/us-germany-greens-idUSTRE7A61ZM20111107

Dear Paul1405,

According to the item the German Greens get from 15-20% of the vote. That is enough to be sought as a partner in a Coalition. That is not near enough to take power. My guess is that level of support is probably temporary.

I was at a Green Christmas party tonight. Most of the people I talked to were not primarily interested in environmental issues. From that small sample they are not focused on what their name implies, and that was disappointing to me.