Australian Politics :Is the Prime Minister a crook? Part VII

Is the Prime Minister a crook? Part VII

Pickering Post

It appears that Nicola Roxon and Peter Van Sumbugger are the only two people left standing who are young and naive enough to believe this is a Liberal Party beat-up.

Sorry Nicola and Peter, we have never spoken to any Opposition Member and it's far from a beat-up. The continuous stream of information is coming from your side of the House and one other person the Prime Minister knew very well. There are some angry people on your Benches.

Well, you two, here's more to cause you some indigestion.

Slater & Gordon handle unfair dismissal claims in their thousands. Gillard herself handled a few, so she knew exactly what it meant when she was called in for a taped interview... it was a precursor to her dismissal.

It's a moot point as to whether she was given the opportunity to resign or not. All legal employees, short of an accusation of murder, are extended that courtesy because a "dismissal" could both injure the firm's reputation and terminally end the employee's career. Regardless, it appears to have done both anyway.

The fraudulent document that allowed the "slush fund" to be set up was first presented in Perth. It was taken to the Commissioner of Corporate Affairs who promptly refused to allow it on grounds that it appeared to be too much like a union.

Undeterred, Wilson asked Gillard to do it. Incredibly, Gillard agreed. It was pointless to persist in Perth because the Commissioner had already knocked it back so it was off to Victoria and the offices of Slater & Gordon.

Now, even the most young and naive person on the planet would have known this was highly unethical at best and illegal on a number of fronts at worst.

There were three other people present when this document was drawn up: Ralph Blewitt, Bruce Wilson and senior equity partner, Bernard Murphy. (Bernard Murphy was the anonymous name "The Australian" redacted in its Page one story.)

In the record of interview Gillard stated that she "acted alone". She lied. Was she protecting Bernard Murphy? If so, it didn't help. Murphy hurriedly departed the firm on an agreed settlement prior to Gillard.

[Gillard was later to appoint Bernard Murphy to the Federal Court bench. Why did she do that? Was she worried he would disclose critical information relating to the blatant fraud?]

When the document was completed by Gillard it was signed by Blewitt. Wilson then took it to the Commonwealth Bank to open the now infamous account: The AWU Workplace Reform Association Inc.

It appeared on the record as an AWU account, it wasn't, but it was ready to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars, attracting no tax, into Wilson's pocket. More importantly the AWU had no knowledge of it. Yet the AWU was a client of Gillard's in the form of Wilson. The law firm itself acted for the Vic AWU.

In a classic conflict of interest, Gillard was actually facilitating theft by her boyfriend from her own firm's client, the AWU! Gillard was also improperly acting for her criminal boyfriend who was also a representative of the AWU client!

Slater & Gordon is obliged to keep the Law Institute of Victoria updated as to who is operating on their Practising Certificate? The Law Institute claims privilege on this information. We have reason to believe Julia was removed from the Certificate in September and not in May the following year as they now advise?

When the fraudulent activity was eventually discovered Peter Gordon hit the roof, but his position was untenable because:

Slater & Gordon is hardly independent. Incredibly, if they sacked her, they would be exposed to a reimbursement claim from their own client (the AWU) for all monies stolen, plus costs. What a predicament Gillard had created. No wonder they were angry.

Because Gillard did not open a file on the case, to appraise others in the firm of her actions, her conduct may be subject to criminal charges and the Professional Indemnity policy would not have been exposed (you cannot insure against criminal activity).

Lawyers are now pitting their credibility against each other. In this fiery battle of recollections and taped records Nick Styant-Browne will emerge the winner.

That may sound a bit complicated. It is! And the more Slater & Gordon wriggles the more it will need the services of a good Left wing law firm.

Part VIII: Enter the Unions and Bill Shorten.

7.30 Report, Affirmative Action appointee Leigh Sales,speaks with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on Her / THEIR ABC.

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia 

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Asylum abuse payouts increasing

Ken McGregor
The Advertiser
August 23, 2012

ABUSED asylum seekers are being paid an average of $160,000 in compensation, up 60 per cent for each individual in the past two years, Immigration Department figures show.

Adelaide law firm Tindall Gask Bentley has 40 pending cases that could lead to millions more being paid out.

In the week since Parliament passed laws to reopen offshore processing on Nauru and in Papua New Guinea, the firm has signed another four claimants.

Law firms in Sydney and Melbourne also have recorded a rise in cases, some of which are linked to time spent in Nauru.

The claims range from incidents alleging forced solitary confinement for 23 hours a day for as many as four weeks after suicide attempts, to physical abuse.

TGB managing partner Morry Bailes said detainees were being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.

"The use of restraints in detention centres has also caused physical injuries, particularly wrist, back and shoulder damage," he said.

The firm says it is expecting hundreds of new cases to begin flowing through its books in the near future.

Immigration Department figures show that from July 1 last year to June 30 this year, the Federal Government paid out $2.1 million, excluding legal costs, in compensation to former detainees.

All of those claims relate to pre-2007 incidents, and are for a combination of personal injuries or the unlawful detention of 13 former detainees who each were paid on average about $160,000.

Between June 2008 and June 2010, about 50 former asylum seekers were paid $5.4 million in compensation payouts for injuries they suffered while in detention.

The average payout in that time was $100,000.

Refugee Action Collective spokesman Ian Rintoul said the former detainees were entitled to compensation.

"And the success rate of the claims against the department is in line with the scale of mistreatment at the centres," he said.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the Government was increasingly trying to deflect refugees towards community care rather than detention.

An Immigration Department spokesman said the claims were paid out when it has been determined there is a "risk" a court may rule the Commonwealth negligent.

 Meanwhile, the navy has intercepted two vessels carrying more than 100 people off northwestern Australia.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said patrol boat HMAS Bathurst, operating under the coordination of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, intercepted one suspected irregular entry vessel east of Christmas Island.

Initial indications suggest there are 70 people aboard.

Patrol boat HMAS Bundaberg intercepted the second suspected irregular entry vessel northwest of Ashmore Islands on Wednesday afternoon.

Initial indications suggest there are 37 people aboard.

This second vessel was initially detected by a Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 surveillance aircraft.

"Border Protection Command will now make arrangements for the people from both vessels to be transferred to Australian government authorities at Christmas Island," Mr Clare said in a statement.

"At Christmas Island, they will undergo initial security, health and identity checks and their reasons for travel will be established."

Mr Clare said people arriving by boat without a visa after August 13 ran the risk of transfer to a regional processing country.

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia 

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia

Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants Illegal Immigrants Illegal Entrants 

Islamic Colonization of Australia Islamic Colonization of Australia v Islamic Colonization of Australia 

Ray Hadley Ben Fordham Mike Smith : Julia Gillard AWU Scandal deepens

Ray Hadley Sydney's # 1 Mid Morning talk back host on the Gillard / AWU saga and an interesting call from a Gillard defender.

Revealed: Julia Gillard lost her job after law firm's secret investigation

BY: HedleyThomas, 
NATIONAL CHIEF CORRESPONDENT  
The Australian 
August 18, 2012 

JULIA Gillard left her job as a partner with law firm Slater & Gordon as a direct result of a secret internal probe in 1995 into controversial work she had done for her then boyfriend, a union boss accused of corruption, The Weekend Australian can reveal.

Nick Styant-Browne, a former equity partner of the firm, broke a 17-year silence yesterday to reveal that the firm's probe included a confidential formal interview with the Prime Minister - then an industrial lawyer - on September 11, 1995, which was "recorded and transcribed".

In the interview, Ms Gillard stated that she could not categorically rule out that she had personally benefited from union funds in the renovation of her Melbourne house, according to Mr Styant-Browne.

She said in the interview that she believed she had paid for all the work and materials, and had receipts, which she later produced.

The firm's probe revolved around Ms Gillard's work since mid-1992 for the Australian Workers Union and her then boyfriend - the AWU's ambitious leader at the time, Bruce Wilson - as well as her direct role in establishing the AWU Workplace Reform Association for Mr Wilson.

RECOMMENDED COVERAGE
The controversy that won't go away

Mr Styant-Browne's revelations today mark the first time that anyone among the former and present partners of her employer before she started her political career has spoken on the record about matters that have controversially dogged Ms Gillard since 1995.

Mr Styant-Browne, now a Seattle-based lawyer, said the partnership "took a very serious view" of these and other matters, "and accepted her resignation".

"The firm was scrupulous to ensure these matters were both properly investigated and Ms Gillard was given every opportunity to explain her involvement," Mr Styant-Browne said. "Ms Gillard conveyed to me that she thought she had been 'shabbily' treated after eight years of service."

In response to a series of detailed questions from The Weekend Australian, a spokesman for Ms Gillard said last night she had "made clear that she was not involved in any wrongdoing, and has dealt with these allegations previously". "The Prime Minister maintains good relations with Slater & Gordon," he said.

The legal entity that Ms Gillard began to establish for Mr Wilson from mid-1992 was used by Mr Wilson and his then friend, AWU bagman and West Australian branch head Ralph Blewitt, to allegedly corruptly receive hundreds of thousands of dollars from large companies.

The companies were told their money would pay for safety and training of AWU members on major work sites. However, the funds were allegedly siphoned off for purposes including the personal use of Mr Wilson and Mr Blewitt. At the time, the AWU's then national leaders, Ian Cambridge and Bill Ludwig, were not made aware of the entity's existence. They were unaware that large sums of money had been going into accounts linked to the association, and that those funds were subsequently withdrawn by Mr Wilson and Mr Blewitt for purposes including the purchase of a $230,000 house in Kerr Street, Fitzroy. Mr Cambridge called on the federal Labor government to establish a royal commission into what he regarded as serious and criminal rorting by union officials.

Ms Gillard has repeatedly and strenuously denied that she had any knowledge of what the association that she had set up was going to be used for. She has also denied receiving any benefit from the funds. She has repeatedly rejected claims made in parliament that renovations to her own house in Melbourne in the early-to-mid 1990s were part-funded by money allegedly siphoned off by Mr Wilson.

Mr Styant-Browne revealed yesterday that Ms Gillard had said in her formal interview on September 11, 1995, that "she could not categorically deny AWU union or (AWU) Workplace Reform Association monies" had been used in the renovation of her own house in Melbourne. He said she had subsequently produced receipts for work done on the Abbotsford property.

In a two-page statement to The Weekend Australian, Mr Styant-Browne also revealed unusual circumstances surrounding what he described as Ms Gillard's "legal and related work to establish the AWU Workplace Reform Association in Western Australia".

He said that in her formal interview, Ms Gillard had confirmed that "she did not open a file at the firm" to establish the association, and that she could not at the time recall any reason why a file was not opened. He said that she had stated that no other lawyer at the firm worked on the matter, and "to her recollection, no other lawyer was consulted". She stated in the interview that she "was not involved in opening or operating any bank accounts for the association," Mr Styant-Browne said.

Referring to the recorded interview, Mr Styant-Browne said: "She understood the purpose of the association was to hold re-election funds for union officials contributed by individual union members and fundraisers. She stated it was referred to as a re-election or slush fund. She had been in a relationship with Mr Wilson for nearly four years commencing in late 1991.

"She and Mr Wilson attended the auction of 85 Kerr Street, Fitzroy in early 1993 where Mr Wilson made a successful bid for the house which was purchased in the name of Ralph Blewitt. Mr Blewitt did not attend the auction. She understood the house was a property investment made by Mr Blewitt, and that Mr Wilson would live there as a trusted tenant. She believed this arrangement suited them both.

"She had extensively renovated her own house in Abbotsford. Mr Wilson had assisted in the renovations. She believed she had paid for all the work and materials, and had receipts which she agreed to produce. She was aware someone had sought payment from the AWU for work and materials he had supplied for the house. He was mistaken or misinformed. But she could not categorically deny AWU union or Workplace Association monies had been used for any of the work. As at the time of the interview, her relationship with Mr Wilson had recently ended."

Mr Styant-Browne said the conduct of Slater & Gordon in waiving its conveyancing fee for the purchase of the Fitzroy house and lending $150,000 to complete the sale was not unusual.

"Like many law firms, Slater & Gordon regularly did discounted or free conveyances for clients who held office in its client corporations or organisations. Like any labour law firm, the fees for these conveyances for union officials were regularly waived, " he said.

"Slater & Gordon conducted a solicitors' contributory mortgage practice, which made loans secured by first mortgage over properties up to a percentage of a sworn valuation obtained for the specific purpose of the loan. A partner of the firm was designated as the trustee for the mortgage on behalf of the contributors, and signed the mortgage in that capacity. Legal fees or disbursements for the mortgage formed part of the loan, as was the case for the Kerr Street mortgage. The Kerr Street conveyance and mortgage were both unexceptionable transactions for the firm's conveyancing and mortgage practice.

"As for the florid allegations suggesting a cover-up by Slater & Gordon made in some radio interviews and online media, they are utterly absurd."

Explaining his reasons for speaking out after a long silence, Mr Styant-Browne, 54, who is not a member of any political party, said: "It has recently become clear to me that there is a genuine public interest in this story, which has prompted my statement now".

The Australian revealed earlier this month that Mr Wilson's former close friend, Mr Blewitt, wanted to expose the extent of his alleged scam with Mr Wilson, and that he would admit his own wrongdoing if he received an indemnity from prosecution. Mr Blewitt, 66, said: "My greatest fear is that I incriminate myself but this has to come out now".

The Australian has also reported that internal documents, newly released under Freedom of Information, from an exhaustive police probe at the time show detectives suspected Mr Wilson and Mr Blewitt, were "crooks" and wanted them criminally prosecuted over a $400,000-plus alleged fraud. The documents from the police file include letters showing leaders of the AWU, which remains the most influential industrial supporter of the federal Labor government, were deeply annoyed that the two men were not charged with criminal offences.

The managing director of Slater & Gordon, Andrew Grech, has begun contacting its former clients including Mr Blewitt, Mr Wilson and the AWU, "asking that they agree to waive their right to legal privilege attaching to lawyer-client communication so that we can respond to the public allegations that have been made".

"We are not prepared to have our firm's reputation impugned by the allegations relating to these matters, which occurred almost two decades ago," Mr Grech told The Australian last week.

Slush fund claims raise fresh leadership tension for Prime Minister Julia Gillard

The Bolt Report August 19 2012

Madame Gillard "I was young and naive" but she says she didn't get the money and Unions and Comrades in your kids Classroom - Why Communism Loves Children.

Melbourne Australia:Sudanese and Somali Refugees Crime five times that of Australians and Greens call for increased refugee intake

African youth crime concern
Dan Oakes
The Age
August 20, 2012
SUDANESE and Somali-born Victorians are about five times more likely to commit crimes than the wider community, a trend that must be addressed to prevent Cronulla-style social unrest, police warn.
The most common crimes committed by Somali and Sudanese-born Victorians are assault and robbery, illustrating the trend towards increasingly violent robberies by disaffected African youths.

''We've got to fix this now and make sure it doesn't continue, so the kids who are now 10 years old aren't in this offender bracket in five years' time. So we don't get the Cronullas happening,'' Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Tim Cartwright said.
''[At Cronulla] you had a big chunk of the community disengaged and coming to a point where you have large-scale civil unrest. That's abhorrent to us, to think we would have that.
''You look at the UK riots and you think, we don't ever want to go there, we don't ever want to see segments of our community saying they just don't care what the rest of the community does, they don't care for us, they have no engagement, don't recognise the legal system, don't recognise education.
''In the longer term the challenge for us is to fix that,'' he said.
The police statistics show the rate of offending among the Sudanese community is 7109.1 per 100,000, while for Somali people it is 6141.8 per 100,000. The figure for the wider community is 1301.0 per 100,000.
It is important to note that the overall proportion of crimes statewide committed by the Sudanese and Somali communities is only 0.92 per cent and 0.35 per cent respectively, and that people arrested and charged may falsely identify themselves as being from those communities.

For both Sudanese and Somalis, assault offences are the most common type, constituting 29.5 per cent and 24.3 per cent of all offences respectively.
''Property is one of the issues, so they're stealing iPhones or money or things of value,'' Mr Cartwright said.
''But there's also a concerning trend of violence, violence that's not needed. So once they've got the property the violence continues. Maybe there's a thrill in it, maybe a bit of revenge, but it's coming out of a lot of groups, not just the Africans.''
Chief Commissioner Ken Lay and other senior police recently met members of the African community to discuss the crime statistics and ways to tackle the issue. One person present at the meeting, Abeselom Nega, said he shared some of Mr Cartwright's fears, and that the statistics presented by the police were ''confronting''.
He said the violent offending was a serious concern to the African community, but that it was important to note the positive contribution many Africans made to the wider community.
''I don't have the experience that the Deputy Commissioner has, but prolonged disengagement and disenfranchisement would no doubt lead to social unrest,'' said Mr Nega, who heads iEmpower, an early intervention and diversionary youth service.
''Tackling crime on a daily basis is a reactive response, and the police would have to do that. But I think it is important to have a proactive strategy that addresses the root cause of disengagement.
''Far too many young people are out of school, not in training or employment, and this needs an immediate response from the government and the whole community,'' he said.
''But it is important to recognise that there are many young people making positive contributions to society, and that they are marginalised by the actions of those people who are responsible for the increase in crime.''
Mr Cartwright said it was crucial to recognise that police could not solve the problem simply by locking people up, and that the root causes of high crime rates needed to be tackled.
''The concern when you see these sorts of numbers is that, if you don't do anything about it, it will continue. We lock up all these offenders and there's another, growing tranche behind them who have the same issues,'' he said.

Greens call for increased refugee intake
ABC
The Greens will move a motion in the Senate calling on the Government to act quickly to increase Australia's humanitarian intake of refugees.
The Houston report on asylum seekers recommends that Australia immediately increase its yearly intake from 20,000 to 27,000 within five years.
Greens Senator Hanson-Young says the Government must also fund the agencies in Malaysia and Indonesia which look after asylum seekers while they are having their claims assessed.

(Greens Senator Hanson-Young center picture)
She says the Federal Government has adopted the harsh aspects of the Houston report but it must also implement the other recommendations.
"We have seen no commitment, no timeline, no genuine desire to implement those [other recommendations]," she said.
"The Government must start with increasing immediately the humanitarian intake to 20,000."
The move comes as the Navy assisted another asylum seeker boat east of Ashmore Island.
Initial reports suggest there were 19 passengers and two crew on board.
They are being transferred to Darwin where they will undergo initial health and security checks, and could be processed on Nauru or Manus Island.
Australian Human Rights Commission president Professor Gillian Triggs warned the Government that her organisation will be watching it closely as it implements its offshore processing plans.
She told The World Today the Federal Government's amendments could review judicial oversight of offshore processing arrangements.
"By stripping away Section 1(98A) of the Migration Act, which was the basis on which the High Court last acted, it does make it much more difficult to have a High Court review of the circumstances in which third party processing will take place," she said.
She said the arrangement could mean that human rights protections will be violated.
"It's not a given at all and all I can do as president is to raise my concern ... of course everything depends on the facts ultimately," she said.
"We don't quite yet know what the conditions are actually going to be."
While there will be no judicial oversight under the arrangement, the locations the Government chooses for regional processing will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Professor Triggs says that is not enough.
"I think that in the current political environment, the opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny is not particularly strong - although obviously there are people in parliament who are willing to keep a very strong watching brief on this," she said.
"So I wouldn't dismiss that as a precaution."
She said was concerned the Immigration Minister would no longer be required to consider the interests of individual children.
"While in the past the Minister had to give consent in writing, that requirement no longer exists in the legislation and the Migration Act itself takes precedence above the Guardianship of Children Act," she said.

                                               Green's and "Co Party" Government Leader Senator  Christine Milne.                

"The position is that the Minister will not need to give individual attention, particularly to children, when making a determination that they are to be sent to another reprocessing centre.
"There is a fundamental principle that the rights of the child are a primary consideration and each child's best interests must be considered. If the Minister is no longer required to do that, then we have concerns."