Heydon quiet on Liberal furore

Unions royal commissioner Dyson Heydon has opened Friday's hearing without mentioning the furore over a Liberal Party event speech.

Mr Heydon on Thursday withdrew from the Sir Garfield Barwick address, telling organisers if there was any possibility it could be described as a Liberal Party event he couldn't do it while presiding over the royal commission into trade union corruption.

Mr Heydon made no mention of the issue when he took his seat at the opening of Friday's evidence in Sydney.