"This is modern day McCarthyism," Mr Dreyfus said. "It's a chilling intrusion into the personal affairs of thousands of ordinary Australians simply on the basis of their political affiliation." Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus: "This has been a tainted commission." Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Mr Dreyfus said it was one thing for the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption to be attacking trade unions and another for it to be intruding into the private affairs of ordinary Australians. Labor spokesman for employment and workplace relations Brendan O'Connor said the royal commission was seeking the names, birth dates, telephone numbers, credit card details and home addresses of thousands of ALP members. The commission sent a notice to produce to the Victorian branch of the ALP on Wednesday asking for membership applications and renewal forms, including payment details, for two months to May 31, 2013.

Mr O'Connor said this request had left Labor in no doubt about the royal commission being tainted. Counsel assisting the commission Jeremy Stoljar, SC. Credit:Simon Bullard "Labor has said all along that this has been a tainted commission, spending $80 million of taxpayer money, a biased commission insofar as the way it's treated the witnesses," he said. "We've talked about the kid gloves used to deal with [former Health Services Union official] Kathy Jackson. We've talked about the fact that the commissioner [Dyson Heydon] himself made admissions about him accepting an invitation to a Liberal Party fundraiser. "And then of course presided over that conflict of interest, and found himself not in conflict of interest.

"But if there was ever any doubt that this is a tainted commission, today with the efforts to invade so outrageously in the lives of 9000 Victorians, I think that doubt can be put to an end." The notice to produce was issued as part of the commission's inquiry into Victorian Labor MP Cesar Melhem's operation of a slush fund known as Industry 2020. Responding to Labor's challenge on Thursday against the notice to produce, counsel assisting the royal commission Jeremy Stoljar, SC, said it would be withdrawn. In objecting to the demand, Labor pointed out the notice to produce would involve the retrieval of thousands of documents. Mr Stoljar conceded this could be "oppressive to the recipient of the notice" and that notice would not be pressed "and is withdrawn".

Noel Hutley, SC, who appeared on behalf of the Victorian ALP, argued the notice to produce went beyond the terms of the commission's inquiry. Follow us on Twitter