topic UNION CRIMINALS in Community Spirit

UNION CRIMINALS

nero_bolt — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 01:04:59 GMT

A POLICE taskforce will be unleashed on rogue unions including the CFMEU in an unprecedented strike against criminality in the construction industry.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Premier Denis Napthine will today reveal the establishment of a joint police taskforce to focus on union officials and others engaged in blackmail, cartel behaviour, extortion, boycotts, kickbacks and intimidation.

The Herald Sun can reveal the taskforce of about 30 Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police officers will pursue criminal activities uncovered by the royal commission into trade union corruption.

It will focus on unions but will also pursue corrupt employers, debt collectors and mediators.

People who work as “mediators” in the building industry, such as underworld figure Mick Gatto, an associate of CFMEU state secretary John Setka, are likely to be pursued.

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

nero_bolt — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 01:07:17 GMT

Victorian and federal police form joint taskforce to crack down on union criminals

A POLICE taskforce will be unleashed on rogue unions including the CFMEU in an unprecedented strike against criminality in the construction industry.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Premier Denis Napthine will today reveal the establishment of a joint police taskforce to focus on union officials and others engaged in blackmail, cartel behaviour, extortion, boycotts, kickbacks and intimidation.

The Herald Sun can reveal the taskforce of about 30 Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police officers will pursue criminal activities uncovered by the royal commission into trade union corruption.

It will focus on unions but will also pursue corrupt employers, debt collectors and mediators.

People who work as “mediators” in the building industry, such as underworld figure Mick Gatto, an associate of CFMEU state secretary John Setka, are likely to be pursued.

“There is no place for standover tactics, violence or intimidation in Australian workplaces,’’ Mr Abbott told the Herald Sun last night.

“To generate jobs and grow businesses, workplaces must be safe, productive and law-abiding.’’

The taskforce is being established in response to a direct request from Justice Dyson Heydon, who is overseeing the royal commission into five trade unions: the CFMEU, the Health Services Union, the Australian Workers’ Union, the Transport Workers’ Union and the Plumbers’ Union.

The Herald Sun understands Mr Heydon wrote to the Government at the start of the month urging that a police taskforce be set up to pursue evidence of corruption and criminality uncovered by the royal commission hearings.

The taskforce will look solely at criminal conduct and will not examine union governance issues, such as misuse of credit cards or slush funds.

The taskforce, beginning in Victoria, will be extended nationally. There are discussions about police from the New South Wales and Queensland forces joining the group.

The Joint Police Taskforce into Industrial Criminality and Corruption will set up a headquarters, probably in Melbourne, which is considered to be the epicentre of union corruption within the building and construction industry.

Dr Napthine said: “The evidence of corrupt behaviour, unlawful kickbacks and standover tactics in the construction industry has made it clear that there is a need for a joint police taskforce to fully investigate this corrupt activity.

“The taskforce will have all the powers currently available to the AFP and participating state police officers.’’

The officers involved will investigate crimes against Victorian laws, such as assault. They will also look at criminal acts such as extortion and at boycotting of building sites, which are dealt with under federal industrial law.

The timing of the announcement — just four weeks out from the November 29 state election — is likely to be damaging to Labor Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews.

Mr Andrews has factional allies within the CFMEU and has faced criticism over his refusal to sever links with the rogue union.

The Federal Government would also be hoping to wedge federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

The Labor leader, who is a former head of the Australian Workers’ Union, has previously called for the establishment of an AFP-led taskforce.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/victorian-and-federal-police-form-joint-taskforce-to-crack-down-on-union-criminals/story-fni0fee2-1227107776175

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

boris1gary — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 01:39:10 GMT

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

debra9275 — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 01:57:21 GMT

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victoria-state-election-2014/state-election-2014-abbott-and-napthine-shoulder-to-shoulder-if-slightly-at-odds-on-cfmeu-20141031-11eqav.html

state election here in a few weeks

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

bushies.girl — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 01:59:54 GMT

They are as hopeless as each other, Napthine definatelywon't be getting my vote

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

boris1gary — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 02:44:48 GMT

rats deserting a sinking ship. No RC for the commonwealth bank but there seems to be a bottomless pit of our money to go after anyone/anything that stands up for workers rights.

http://wixxyleaks.com/we-used-to-be-friends-the-liberals-dump-on-kathy-jackson/

We Used To Be Friends – The Liberals dump on Kathy Jackson

Once upon a time, not that long ago in fact, the name Kathy Jackson could not be said enough times for the Coalition, the name in Coalition ranks was synonymous with everything they claimed to stand for.

This of course was back in the days when the HSU saga was working in the Liberal Party’s favour and they felt comfortable hitching the Coalitions credibility to Kathy Jackson’s integrity, ignoring the allegations against her.

Back then Eric Abetz couldn’t find enough glowing words to say about her, in fact every time he spoke of her it looked like his head was going to explode with pride, he spoke of her like she was the daughter he’d just adopted. George Brandis too, as Attorney General and as Shadow AG has spoken about Jackson with admiration and a glint in his eye many a time.

Christopher Pyne has piled the praise on her, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott has referred to her as heroic and brave amongst other glowing accolades on many occasions when opposition leader.

Jackson was lauded by the shock-jocks, hailed a hero by the right-wing commentators and was even the guest of honour at a HR Nicholls Society event which she happily attended as the guest of the architects of WorkChoices, something the unions had fought long and hard against.

In the eyes of the Coalition, Jackson could do no wrong.

Not only that, Jackson was engaged to be married into a family considered Liberal Party royalty, the Lawlers. Michael her fiancée as the Tony Abbott appointed Vice President of Fair Work Australia, his brother John Lawler was then CEO of the Australian Crime Commission and their father Sir Peter Lawler a senior staffer to PM Robert Menzies and Australia’s first Ambassador to the Holy See (The Vatican), a family with strong ties to both Opus Dei and the Liberal Party.

How things have changed…

The Coalition have seemingly turned on Kathy quicker than you can say “James Ashby”.

In question time on the 28th October Christopher Pyne acting on Eric Abetz’s behalf as the Minister for Employment was throwing allegations at Anthony Albanese regarding the CMFEU when Labor MP Rob Mitchell made a comment about the Liberals allegiance to Kathy Jackson, at which point the Speaker Bronwyn Bishop interjected.

The SPEAKER: Whoever made that comment will withdraw.

Mr Albanese: Madam Speaker, on a point of order: in what way is the name ‘Kathy Jackson’ unparliamentary?

The SPEAKER: Because it was reflecting on another member. I said: whoever made the comment will withdraw the comment.

It seems now that the name Kathy Jackson is something the Coalition now find offensive when used in parliament, quite a turnaround.

I spoke to Rob Mitchell about the comment that had so greatly offended and its context.

Christopher Pyne had been trying to portray Albanese and the Labor Party as directly linked to the CFMEU, so Rob retorted with

“Thanks Kathy Jackson”

Apparently the Coalition that could not align themselves with her enough now think it is a huge insult to be linked with her and Speaker Bronwyn Bishop was having none of it.

In Victoria as part of their campaign the Liberal Party have launched a website featuring Tony Abbott’s heroic woman.

Since the main stream media have started to see Jackson’s true colours the Liberal Party have tried to distance themselves from her, first by ignoring anything to do with her, and now mentioning her name is “unparliamentary” and Liberals in Victoria label her “dodgy” and seem to accuse her of being a thief.

Meanwhile despite it being suddenly open season on Jackson, the man supporting and advising her and somone who is also heavily involved, Michael Lawler, has so far been given a free pass while the taxpayer pays his hefty wages.

Today Tony Abbott announced a joint police task force between Victorian and Federal police that has been hailed as a union busting taskforce targeting alleged union corruption and standover tactics.

Those with high hopes that this will also be targeting Kathy Jackson and her faction will be disappointed to know that this taskforce has been set up to deliberately avoid Jackson and the HSU and to target the CFMEU and the building industry.

Tony Abbott last year as most would be aware has reintroduced Knighthoods to Australia.

One of the last people to receive a knighthood before they were abolished was Sir Peter Lawler, who is said to be a close friend of Tony Abbott’s father. I wonder if this had any bearing on Abbott’s decision.

Sir Peter is also a founder of the Australian Family Association, a right-wing Christian lobby group, and in 1986 was given the papal honour of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pius IX, a papal knighthood.

Currently Sir Peter Lawler’s future daughter in law Kathy is in a psychiatric hospital and when she emerges will face Federal Court for $1.4 Million in member’s funds she is alleged to have misappropriated, and will then likely face criminal charges.

I wonder if she’ll refer to Sir Peter and Lady Mary as Mum and Dad.

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

cherry*135 — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 03:03:29 GMT

Home from work so soon?

ICAC should be mentioned in a topic on criminals.

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fourandsixpants — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 03:42:03 GMT

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village_person — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 04:52:33 GMT

They have already hooked the Brothel Inspector and Minister for Sex Workers and Kindred Workers. Add to that the prison term handed out to the CEO of Plunder and Thievery of Union Funds Inc and things are looking bleak for those who have sworn to help the workers. I'm telling you comrade things are looking grim.

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

debra9275 — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 08:20:33 GMT

So Kathy Jackson the whistle blower is to be charged , as she should be, Julia Gillard found not guilty of anything, the other union officials should also face the music if found to have done the wrong thing. Kathy Jackson seems to be the worst one though. Kind of amusing as she went to great lengths to bring others down, but in the end she was the most corrupt of all.

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

i-need-a-martini — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 08:54:33 GMT

Lol. How desperate is the Abbott government looking?

First their Royal Commission was going nowhere so they decided to widen the scope and give them an extra year to find whatever it is that they are looking for that has so far eluded them.

And now we need a police taskforce too.

And isn't he getting good with the propoaganda? Lump unions in with blackmailer, cartel behaviour, extortionists, boycotts, kickbacks and intimidation just so that the public (those gullible enough to fall for it anyawy) associate the word 'union' with underworld crime. How predictable.

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

i-need-a-martini — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 08:58:35 GMT

Oh and by the way - that extension to the Royal Commission into unions is costing us an extra $8million above the $53million already spent.

Can you imagine the hullabulloo on here if the Labor Party threw away money like that?

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

cherry*135 — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 09:21:13 GMT

Shady business (cover-up Howard, Downer...)

Michael Thawley take over sends shudders through public service

A surprise personnel change at the summit of the Prime Minister's own department has sent shudders through the nation's senior public service ranks, sparking concerns of more to come as Tony Abbott reshapes the senior executive ranks to better respond to emerging government's priorities.

Former intelligence analyst, diplomat and one-time foreign affairs adviser to prime minister Paul Keating, Michael Thawley, has been promoted to the most pivotal position in the public service as head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

In 2006 media reported Mr Thawley as ambassador to the US had lobbied Congress to drop an investigation into allegations that Australia's wheat exporter paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime.

The AWB investigation was ultimately dropped, despite the US government having information that an AWB wheat contract might have been inflated to cover kickbacks to Iraq.

The UN investigation concluded that AWB paid over $221.7 million in 'inland transportation costs'. This totalled more than 14% of the illicit funds the Iraqi Government procured through kickback schemes over this time.

the scandal resulted in international condemnation and litigation. Although the United States successfully pursued criminal charges against several citizens and others in its borders, the Australian criminal investigation into AWB was eventually dropped. Civil charges have however been successful.

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

nero_bolt — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 02:14:44 GMT

Julia Gillard accused: “questionable” lawyering and “sham” payments

Julia Gillard: No crime over alleged corrupt slush fund — inquiry

Mr Stoljar reports that some aspects of Ms Gillard’s professional conduct as a solicitor “appear questionable” and that she likely did receive money from Mr Wilson for her home renovations

The submission by the counsel assisting the royal commission in a nutshell:

JULIA Gillard received money from her corrupt union boyfriend’s “sham” fund to pay for renovations on her Melbourne house in the 1990s, and she could have helped prevent criminal behaviour if she had acted with more “rigour” as a solicitor — but she was not involved in any criminal conduct.

And more to come:

It is still possible that it is not the end of the affair for Ms Gillard if Victoria Police, who have an open investigation into alleged corruption by Mr Wilson, decide to pursue the former prime minister about whether or not payments were made by her then boyfriend for her home renovations, and what she might have known about them.

In fact, the more you read into Jeremy Stoljar’s submission, the uglier it looks for the former Prime Minister:

Lastly, for the reasons set out above the Commission should find that Ms Gillard was the beneficiary or recipient of certain funds from [then boyfriend and corrupt union official Bruce] Wilson, consistent with the evidence of [builder Athol] James and [then AWU official Wayne] Hem. It is not possible to identify after all this time the precise source of the funds, since Mr Wilson seems to have drawn cash from the accounts operated in Victoria as well as from the Association’s account. The skimpy nature of the available evidence does not make it possible to infer on the balance of probabilities that Ms Gillard was aware that she had received the $5,000 which Mr Hem put into her bank account on Mr Wilson’s instructions.

But she was aware of facts, had she turned her mind to them, which would have indicated that the source of the wads of bank notes cannot have been the low union salary of Mr Wilson of about $50,000 – a man who was supporting his family in Perth, his own household in Melbourne, and his relationship with Ms Gillard in Melbourne, and who was not shown to have had any income from property exceeding the cost of mortgage repayments – but must have been some fund he did not own but did control. That is, she must have been aware of facts, which had she turned her mind to them, would have revealed that Mr Wilson was making payments to her in breach of some fiduciary duty.

Hedley Thomas:

JULIA Gillard will be very unhappy at how her conduct in the AWU slush fund scandal is viewed by the union corruption inquiry’s senior counsel, Jeremy Stoljar SC.Did she receive cash for her home renovation? Stoljar prefers the evidence of Gillard’s builder, Athol James, an elderly man who spoke of seeing a “large amount of cash” and a “wad of notes” being handed to the future PM by her corrupt boyfriend, union boss Bruce Wilson, to pay for a home reno.

Gillard flatly rejected these claims when she had her turn in the witness box. She could not have been more emphatic. It was “not true”, she insisted. Stoljar, however, believes that James’s memory was “clear and accurate"…

Stoljar also distinguishes the evidence of a former AWU staffer, Wayne Hem, who said he put the $5000 into Gillard’s account at Wilson’s direction.

Stoljar’s view that the commission should find “Gillard was the beneficiary or recipient of certain funds from Mr Wilson, consistent with the evidence of Mr James and Mr Hem” is a big credibility blow.

Stoljar says it cannot be shown that Gillard knew she got the $5000 in her account. But he wants the inquiry’s head, retired High Court judge Dyson Heydon QC, to find that Gillard was aware of facts which should have alarmed her — “wads of bank notes” brandished by Wilson, who could not have earned the money legitimately on his $50,000 union salary.

Another sting in Stoljar’s submission revolves around Gillard’s remarkably loose lawyering, which was instrumental in allowing the fraud to put down roots.

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/andrewbolt/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/julia_gillard_accused_questionable_lawyering_and_sham_payments/

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

nero_bolt — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 02:17:13 GMT

Mr Stoljar has also urged the commissioner to find that Health Services Union (HSU) whistleblower Kathy Jackson made a false claim for funds to Victoria’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and that charges be considered.

The submissions also recommend charges be considered against Victorian Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) boss John Setka.

Mr Stoljar reports that Mr Setka “committed the offence of blackmail” in a dispute where concrete firm Boral was banned from worksites as part of a confrontation between the CFMEU and construction firm Grocon.

Charges have also been recommended against NSW CFMEU state secretary Brian Parker and Cbus Superannuation officers Lisa Zanatta and Maria Butera in relation to a leak of confidential superannuation member information and “obviously perjured evidence” to the commission.

Commissioner Dyson Heydon will consider the submissions in compiling his interim report, due to be handed to the federal government on December 15.

http://www.news.com.au/national/julia-gillard-did-not-commit-crime-over-bruce-wilsons-alleged-slush-fund-recommendation/story-fncynjr2-1227108798135

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debra9275 — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 02:56:57 GMT

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/two-victorian-public-servants-in-ibac-probe-over-25-million-in-contracts-20140721-zvdkp.html

under the napthine govt's watch too

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

nero_bolt — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 03:01:30 GMT

@debra9275 wrote:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/two-victorian-public-servants-in-ibac-probe-over-25-million-in-contracts-20140721-zvdkp.html

under the napthine govt's watch too

I hope that if they have done the wrong thing and broken the law they get charged Deb......

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

boris1gary — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 03:27:14 GMT

http://www.independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/heroic-jackson-to-face-charges-yet-australian-media-keep-smearing-guiltless-gillard,7055

Heroic Jackson to face charges yet Australian media keep smearing guiltless Gillard

Counsel assisting the Trade Union Commission recommends Tony Abbott’s hero Kathy Jackson to face criminal charges, yet Australia’s mainstream media headline more baseless Gillard smears.Peter Wicks from Wixxyleaks reports.

Late yesterday afternoon the Trade Union Royal Commission (TURC) dropped a bombshell.

Counsel Assisting Jeremy Stoljar yesterday made his submissions (which can be seen in full via this link) and while this does not mean the Commissioner will follow suit, it certainly gives a strong indication of where things are headed.

I have not had the time to plough through all of the documentation as there is a mountain of it, however there are a few things to note.

Firstly, Julia Gillard has no case to answer. Despite, all of the antics and smear, Gillard was found by Stoljar to have done nothing criminal — as IA has been reporting for years. Australia’s desperate mainstream media aren’t worrying about that though, headlining Stoljar’s sidenote that some of her conduct as a solicitor 20 years ago may have been “questionable”.

They can’t let it go and admit they were wrong. They really are pathetic.

For Kathy Jackson though, things are actually – really, in fact – looking bad. Of course, Australia’s dismal mainstream media, after years of spinning Gillard as a criminal and Jackson as a brave whistleblower, are running this detail towards the end of their latest Gillard smear stories.

There will be more to come I’m sure as I work my way through the documentation, but here is how Stoljar summarised HSU governance during Jacksons time as Secretary.

“The matters set out above raise serious governance issues at the Victoria No 3 Branch, during the period Ms Jackson was Secretary.
It is difficult to imagine a more inappropriate series of arrangements. On Ms Jackson’s own evidence, significant sums of members’ money were kept in a kitty and handed out at her discretion. There were insufficient checks and records concerning other movements of money, including the use of credit cards.
The picture that emerges is of a union during the period 2000 - 2012 characterised by lax governance; frequent breaches of union rules and procedures of transparency and accountability; and ‘smear’ and ‘dirt’ campaigns, during which critical records were destroyed or tampered with, and reputations trashed. This is no model for a modern or effective union.”

For many of the allegations against Jackson, Stoljar made no findings, as the matters are part of the $1.4 million case currently before Federal Court and so deemed inappropriate to comment on.

However, on the Peter Mac settlement, there are elements of the matter not before Federal Court such as the $250,000 payment to the HSU from the cancer research facility and hospital.

Jackson admitted during the Royal Commission to grossly inflating the union’s costs in order to have them total $250,000. One example of this was her legal costs, which were inflated from $1,122 to $65,740 according to Jackson’s own testimony.

Some may call that a rort — others a hefty mark-up.

Jeremy Stoljar in his submission refers to it as follows:

“Obtaining property or a financial advantage by deception.”

Stoljar then goes on to say:

“Ms Jackson falsely represented to Peter Mac that the HSU had incurred, or would incur, costs that she knew it had not, and would not, incur. That false representation constitutes the relevant deception.”

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

freddie*rooster — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 05:59:41 GMT

@debra9275 wrote:
So Kathy Jackson the whistle blower is to be charged , as she should be, Julia Gillard found not guilty of anything, the other union officials should also face the music if found to have done the wrong thing. Kathy Jackson seems to be the worst one though. Kind of amusing as she went to great lengths to bring others down, but in the end she was the most corrupt of all.

LL would be choking on his cornflakes, I recall him telling us her day would come.

Re: UNION CRIMINALS

nero_bolt — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 06:16:55 GMT

Why has Bill Shorten still not given the royal commission his answer?

When will Bill Shorten answer a request for information from the Royal Commission into trade union corruption?

One scandal the royal commission is investigating is the use of a slush fund by Julia Gillard’s then boyfriend and client, AWU state secretary Bruce Wilson, to rip off $380.000.

Eventually the AWU discovered Wilson had been using an association misleadingly called the Australian Workers Union Workers Reform Association for his ripoffs. But rather than go to the police, it paid Wilson a $55,000 redundancy to quietly go away.

Counsel assisting the royal commission, Jeremy Stoljar, on Friday noted:

[AWU official Bob] Kernohan was appalled by what he had discovered on receipt of the court documents. In particular he was appalled by the fact that redundancy payments had been made to Mr Wilson and others. He deposes that he had a conversation with Mr Shorten and others in which he said words to the following effect:

I told them it was a bloody disgrace that they received redundancy payments whilst they were internally investigated for fraud.

Mr Kernohan deposed that Mr Shorten (then a junior official in the AWU) told him in essence not to take it any further and that ‘we are all just moving on’. At the time of writing these submissions evidence had been sought but not yet received from Mr Shorten on this topic.

When will Shorten give his account of that conversation to the royal commission? And on oath?