Heydon dinner timed to get more MPs

A Liberal Party dinner that was to be addressed by unions' royal commissioner Dyson Heydon was specially scheduled to ensure more politicians could attend.

Mr Heydon last week pulled out of the Sir Garfield Barwick address because of the potential for it to compromise his independence.

An email from event organiser Gregory Burton to Mr Heydon dated March 25 said: "I'll try to aim for a non-parliamentary sitting week to give the politician-lawyers less excuse not to turn up!"