Post by spindrift on May 13, 2014 14:19:46 GMT 11
Shonkie Jules....
Well she was a all Union gal..
Royal commission into union corruption investigates embezzlement allegations
Nick Grimm reported this story on Monday, May 12, 2014 18:30:00
MARK COLVIN: The Royal Commission to investigate allegations of union corruption and workplace malfeasance has begun its first public hearing by looking at an affair that goes back two decades.
The commission set up by the Abbott Government is investigating claims that a union slush fund was set up to misappropriate hundreds of thousands of dollars from an engineering company working on a big construction project in Western Australia.
It's alleged that two former Australian Workers Union officials were involved in the fraud to siphon off hundreds of thousands of dollars from the fund. Neither man remains involved with the union.
The then-girlfriend of one of them was Julia Gillard, then a lawyer, but later of course to become prime minister. Today the Royal Commission was told that cash from the slush fund went to a builder engaged in renovating Ms Gillard's Melbourne home.
Nick Grimm has been at today's proceedings, he joins me in the studio now; give us the context to this.
NICK GRIMM: Well Mark, over the coming months the royal commission will be gathering evidence about union slush funds, the misuse of members funds, as well as kickbacks and bribes paid by employers to ensure industrial harmony on worksites around the country. It's due to report in December this year.
It's been derided as a union witch hunt by some, championed by others as a chance to clean up workplace corruption.
Today, the question has been posed in the media: why is the royal commission inquiring into a 20-year-old slush fund set up by officials within the AWU's (Australian Worker's Union) West Australian branch when there are much more recent examples of misconduct that could be examined more urgently?
Well there's a few answers to that question. One is that there has been considerable interest in this matter due to the involvement of former prime minister Julia Gillard, and the inquiry will be seeking to establish who knew what of the process of incorporating the legal entity that became the slush fund, and who knew what about where the money went.
Another answer is that the man who has been giving evidence today happened to be visiting Australia from his home in Malaysia, and the royal commission was keen to strike while the iron was hot and hear from him.
MARK COLVIN: Who is he and what did he say?
NICK GRIMM: Well, his name is Ralph Blewitt, he's a former Australian Worker's Union official; a self-confessed 'union bagman' and 'fraudster'. He's one of the central figures in what became known as the AWU slush fund affair.
Now he's placed Julia Gillard at a couple of key places today in his account about how the slush fund was set up more than 20 years ago, and how the money that was deposited into it was subsequently used.
Now, at that time Julia Gillard was an industrial lawyer and partner with the Melbourne law firm Slater and Gordon, which had the account for the AWU. And we've heard again today how she was the then-girlfriend of the man Ralph Blewitt alleges was the mastermind of the slush fund - that's another former AWU official called Bruce Wilson.
Now Bruce Wilson was not at the inquiry today, but it emerges he wasn't far away, meeting with his lawyer at a nearby café during the lunch adjournment. And in a moment of drama he was spotted by photographers, and the this afternoon the AAP (Australian Associated Press) media organisation was tweeting a photo alleged to show Bruce Wilson launching an unprovoked attack on a photographer from The Australian newspaper.
Back at the royal commission meanwhile, though, Mr Blewitt had been telling how Julia Gillard assisted with the setting up of a legal entity, known as the Australian Worker's Union Workplace Reform Association. We heard that association was never actually used to provide workplace safety reform services, as it was touted to be for. That's despite receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to it by an engineering company, Teece, which was involved in the then-biggest project in WA, the Doorsville Channel project.
Now, Mr Blewitt was questioned by counsel assisting the royal commissioner, Jeremy Stoljer, about how that legal entity was set up. And he's described how Julia Gillard was present at a meeting when documents prepared for him to sign.
JEREMY STOLJER: In paragraph one, there's some handwriting in blue, your name in capitals. Is that your handwriting?
RALPH BLEWITT: That's my handwriting.
JEREMY STOLJER: And then there's a line: 'being duly authorised by the association implied for incorporation of the association under the name Australian Workers Union Workplace Reform Association.' Do you see that?
RALPH BLEWITT: Yes.
JEREMY STOLJER: And whose handwriting is that in black ink?
RALPH BLEWITT: That's Julia Gillard's handwriting.
MARK COLVIN: So that's Ralph Blewitt at the royal commission.
Did we hear what else the slush fund money was allegedly use for?
NICK GRIMM: Yes we have. Ralph Blewitt was questioned closely today about how he would repeatedly withdraw relatively small sums of money from the slush fund - just a few thousand dollars at a time so as to avoid scrutiny of authorities - and he would hand that cash to Bruce Wilson when they saw each other.
Now he says that on one occasion that he did that that it was at the Melbourne home of Julia Gillard. He says he was asked by Mr Wilson to hand $7,000 in cash to a contractor engaged in doing renovations on her home.
Let's have a listen to some of the evidence where he describes how when he first arrived at the house he was greeted by Ms Gillard.
RALPH BLEWITT: She said words to the effect that, 'Oh Bruce is in the back, just go through.' I went through, I met Bruce Wilson in the kitchen, veranda area. There were three other people in attendance that day, they were just dressed in worker's-type overalls; they were doing renovations on either the veranda and/or the kitchen, I can't remember precisely.
Mr Wilson called out to somebody. He asked me if I had the money, I said, yeah, he called out to somebody who came in. He asked me to pay him $7,000, which I did. I counted off $7,000, gave it to that gentleman. He stuck it in the front pocket of his bib-and-brace overalls, and when back outside to join the other two workers that were there.
MARK COLVIN: Ralph Blewitt.
And finally, Nick Grimm, what happens next in this inquiry?
NICK GRIMM: Well, counsel assisting the royal commissioner has finished his examination of Mr Blewitt. But a lawyer representing Bruce Wilson has asked for some time to receive instructions from her client about the allegations that have been raised against him today.
The commissioner did express concern that if he adjourned the proceedings for too long Mr Blewitt might return home to Malaysia, and, as he put it, 'Mr Blewitt's intentions to return to face further questions might change, and the commission might not be able to do anything about that'.
So he will be returning to the royal commission tomorrow at 2pm to face cross-examination.
MARK COLVIN: Nick Grimm, thank you very much.
Well she was a all Union gal..
Royal commission into union corruption investigates embezzlement allegations
Nick Grimm reported this story on Monday, May 12, 2014 18:30:00
MARK COLVIN: The Royal Commission to investigate allegations of union corruption and workplace malfeasance has begun its first public hearing by looking at an affair that goes back two decades.
The commission set up by the Abbott Government is investigating claims that a union slush fund was set up to misappropriate hundreds of thousands of dollars from an engineering company working on a big construction project in Western Australia.
It's alleged that two former Australian Workers Union officials were involved in the fraud to siphon off hundreds of thousands of dollars from the fund. Neither man remains involved with the union.
The then-girlfriend of one of them was Julia Gillard, then a lawyer, but later of course to become prime minister. Today the Royal Commission was told that cash from the slush fund went to a builder engaged in renovating Ms Gillard's Melbourne home.
Nick Grimm has been at today's proceedings, he joins me in the studio now; give us the context to this.
NICK GRIMM: Well Mark, over the coming months the royal commission will be gathering evidence about union slush funds, the misuse of members funds, as well as kickbacks and bribes paid by employers to ensure industrial harmony on worksites around the country. It's due to report in December this year.
It's been derided as a union witch hunt by some, championed by others as a chance to clean up workplace corruption.
Today, the question has been posed in the media: why is the royal commission inquiring into a 20-year-old slush fund set up by officials within the AWU's (Australian Worker's Union) West Australian branch when there are much more recent examples of misconduct that could be examined more urgently?
Well there's a few answers to that question. One is that there has been considerable interest in this matter due to the involvement of former prime minister Julia Gillard, and the inquiry will be seeking to establish who knew what of the process of incorporating the legal entity that became the slush fund, and who knew what about where the money went.
Another answer is that the man who has been giving evidence today happened to be visiting Australia from his home in Malaysia, and the royal commission was keen to strike while the iron was hot and hear from him.
MARK COLVIN: Who is he and what did he say?
NICK GRIMM: Well, his name is Ralph Blewitt, he's a former Australian Worker's Union official; a self-confessed 'union bagman' and 'fraudster'. He's one of the central figures in what became known as the AWU slush fund affair.
Now he's placed Julia Gillard at a couple of key places today in his account about how the slush fund was set up more than 20 years ago, and how the money that was deposited into it was subsequently used.
Now, at that time Julia Gillard was an industrial lawyer and partner with the Melbourne law firm Slater and Gordon, which had the account for the AWU. And we've heard again today how she was the then-girlfriend of the man Ralph Blewitt alleges was the mastermind of the slush fund - that's another former AWU official called Bruce Wilson.
Now Bruce Wilson was not at the inquiry today, but it emerges he wasn't far away, meeting with his lawyer at a nearby café during the lunch adjournment. And in a moment of drama he was spotted by photographers, and the this afternoon the AAP (Australian Associated Press) media organisation was tweeting a photo alleged to show Bruce Wilson launching an unprovoked attack on a photographer from The Australian newspaper.
Back at the royal commission meanwhile, though, Mr Blewitt had been telling how Julia Gillard assisted with the setting up of a legal entity, known as the Australian Worker's Union Workplace Reform Association. We heard that association was never actually used to provide workplace safety reform services, as it was touted to be for. That's despite receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to it by an engineering company, Teece, which was involved in the then-biggest project in WA, the Doorsville Channel project.
Now, Mr Blewitt was questioned by counsel assisting the royal commissioner, Jeremy Stoljer, about how that legal entity was set up. And he's described how Julia Gillard was present at a meeting when documents prepared for him to sign.
JEREMY STOLJER: In paragraph one, there's some handwriting in blue, your name in capitals. Is that your handwriting?
RALPH BLEWITT: That's my handwriting.
JEREMY STOLJER: And then there's a line: 'being duly authorised by the association implied for incorporation of the association under the name Australian Workers Union Workplace Reform Association.' Do you see that?
RALPH BLEWITT: Yes.
JEREMY STOLJER: And whose handwriting is that in black ink?
RALPH BLEWITT: That's Julia Gillard's handwriting.
MARK COLVIN: So that's Ralph Blewitt at the royal commission.
Did we hear what else the slush fund money was allegedly use for?
NICK GRIMM: Yes we have. Ralph Blewitt was questioned closely today about how he would repeatedly withdraw relatively small sums of money from the slush fund - just a few thousand dollars at a time so as to avoid scrutiny of authorities - and he would hand that cash to Bruce Wilson when they saw each other.
Now he says that on one occasion that he did that that it was at the Melbourne home of Julia Gillard. He says he was asked by Mr Wilson to hand $7,000 in cash to a contractor engaged in doing renovations on her home.
Let's have a listen to some of the evidence where he describes how when he first arrived at the house he was greeted by Ms Gillard.
RALPH BLEWITT: She said words to the effect that, 'Oh Bruce is in the back, just go through.' I went through, I met Bruce Wilson in the kitchen, veranda area. There were three other people in attendance that day, they were just dressed in worker's-type overalls; they were doing renovations on either the veranda and/or the kitchen, I can't remember precisely.
Mr Wilson called out to somebody. He asked me if I had the money, I said, yeah, he called out to somebody who came in. He asked me to pay him $7,000, which I did. I counted off $7,000, gave it to that gentleman. He stuck it in the front pocket of his bib-and-brace overalls, and when back outside to join the other two workers that were there.
MARK COLVIN: Ralph Blewitt.
And finally, Nick Grimm, what happens next in this inquiry?
NICK GRIMM: Well, counsel assisting the royal commissioner has finished his examination of Mr Blewitt. But a lawyer representing Bruce Wilson has asked for some time to receive instructions from her client about the allegations that have been raised against him today.
The commissioner did express concern that if he adjourned the proceedings for too long Mr Blewitt might return home to Malaysia, and, as he put it, 'Mr Blewitt's intentions to return to face further questions might change, and the commission might not be able to do anything about that'.
So he will be returning to the royal commission tomorrow at 2pm to face cross-examination.
MARK COLVIN: Nick Grimm, thank you very much.