LABOR MP Bill Shorten has left his wife for the daughter of Kevin Rudd's newly appointed Governor-General, Quentin Bryce.

The parliamentary secretary for disabilities and children's services separated from his wife, Deborah Beale, in the past month and is understood to be in a relationship with Chloe Bryce.

Mr Shorten, who was formerly the Australian Workers' Union national secretary, has been touted as a future Labor leader for several years.

However, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd kept his distance yesterday from the political scandal engulfing one of his star MPs.

"We don't have any comment on the story,'' a spokesman for Mr Rudd said.

Mr Shorten and Ms Bryce have been friends for at least a year.

The pair had dinner together at Quentin Bryce's residence in Brisbane on September 5, 2007, when she was Queensland Governor, according to a Vice-Regal notice in Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper.

"In the evening, the Governor received the call of Ms Chloe Bryce-Parkin and Mr Bill Shorten,'' the notice states.

Mr Shorten then went on to become elected as the Member for Maribyrnong at the federal election and thanked his wife, Deborah, in the maiden speech he delivered in February this year, four months after visiting the now-Governor General with Ms Bryce-Parkin.

"Above all others - and I can say this on Valentine's Day - I thank my wife, Deb Beale, an endlessly intelligent, supportive and loving woman,'' he said.

"I knew this instantly from my first outing, when she agreed to visit a picket line with me.''

He also thanked his parents-in-law, Julian and Felicity Beale.

Mr Shorten was one of five MPs invited to attend the September ceremony where Ms Quentin Bryce was sworn in as the 25th Governor-General of Australia.

Chloe Bryce attended the ceremony, with her two children, Georgette and Rupert, from her marriage to architect Roger Parkin.

Mr Parkin's works include a house he designed for the late Beatle George Harrison on Hamilton Island and the Hamilton Island resort itself.

When contacted by The Sunday Telegraph yesterday, Mr Parkin said he did not want to comment on the circumstances of his marriage break-up.

Ms Bryce, who works as a media consultant for Cement Australia, did not return calls yesterday.

Deborah Beale and Bill Shorten were considered a power couple in the Labor Party.

They met while studying for their MBAs.

Ms Beale, whose father Julian Beale is a wealthy Melbourne investor and former federal Liberal MP, was a powerful political asset for Mr Shorten.

She provided a strong link to the corporate world through her father's friendship with multi-millionaire businessman Richard Pratt.

Mr Pratt flew Mr Shorten back to Australia from the UnitedStates on his private plane when the Beaconsfield mine disaster occurred in 2006.

Mr Shorten's role representing workers during the Beaconsfield tragedy significantly raised the former union leader's public profile.

"Ms Beale was well regarded by the Labor Party and well-connected in corporate areas,'' one source said.

"Everyone thought they were the Princess Diana and the Prince of the party.''

Mr Shorten formerly dated and lived with current Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon, who is understood to speak highly of her new parliamentary colleague.

Mr Shorten and his media adviser, Vincent Tulley, would not return calls yesterday.

Quote:

Quote: