A very good piece by Grace Collier. The final sentence carries the most weight. #auspol #BSWNBPM #sameoldlabor #UnionCorruption -TWENTY years too late, Julia Gillard is finally being held to account for her role in the matter known as the AWU scandal. The former prime minister was questioned in the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption this week. Contrary to the opinions of many, when she stepped off the stand it did not mark the end of the matter but an important step in the process of discovery. Gauging by much of the media commentary that followed, people must have thought Gillard was going to fall apart on the stand, make shock concessions or that stunning evidence without notice would emerge and prove “the smoking gun” that Gillard supporters keep demanding to see. This is an unrealistic expectation of commission protocols and reflective of ignorance of police investigations. Now that Gillard’s evidence is finally on the record, staff from the royal commission and the Victorian Police can begin the laborious process of matching her version of events to the evidence; to other people’s versions of events and existing documentation. Inconsistencies and contradictions will be looked for and, if and where these occur, commission findings will be made or police lines of inquiry will follow. In the witness box, Gillard maintained the position she had always held: “I did nothing wrong.” These are trying circumstances. Gillard has made statements under oath, there is a police investigation and a royal commission under way. She has no idea of what other evidence exists, whether any of that evidence will contradict her version of events and when she may be confronted with it. The accusations Gillard faced can be refined down to three areas. First, Gillard allegedly received dirty money. This allegation falls into the “he said, she said” category. As far as we know, bank statements have not been located and a handful of people contradict each other’s version of events. It is impossible to predict how the commission may view this. Second, Gillard is accused of improperly witnessing a power-of-attorney document. The document was used to buy a house for Bruce Wilson in Ralph Blewitt’s name and it lumbered Blewitt with a mortgage. This again falls into the “he said, she said” category and the commission didn’t spend much time on the matter. Unless some physical evidence can be produced, this allegation looks likely to go nowhere. Third, Gillard is accused of improperly setting up an association that Wilson used to enact his alleged fraud. Gillard helped apply to set it up and when the application was rejected she wrote to the authorities arguing the case. As a result the application was approved. This allegation is the one the Coalition was referring to in late 2012, when Julie Bishop spoke out. “She appears to be in breach of sections 170, 409 and 558 of the WA criminal code and she appears to be in breach of section 43 of the Associations Incorporation Act,” she was reported in The Australian Financial Review as saying. “They are indictable offences.” George Brandis was reported by Fairfax as saying Gillard “materially misled” the authorities in the application process and Tony Abbott accused Gillard of “unethical conduct and possibly unlawful behaviour”. People who say Gillard did nothing wrong rely on the premise that she did not know what the association was used for and therefore cannot be blamed. That may be true, but it entirely misses the point. The allegation is simply that it was wrong of Gillard to help set the association up in the first place. This allegation relies on significant documentation for its basis. Now Gillard’s statement has added to that evidence. In my opinion, this allegation presents a risk for Gillard, both in terms of an adverse finding and possible charges. In due course, this sorry chapter in our history will draw to a close. Findings will be made, or not, and charges will be laid, or not. No amount of public barracking by ignorant commentators (and there are many) will change that. In the meantime, those wishing to stamp out union corruption can turn their minds to how they can achieve the single most important reform we must have, that is to make it illegal for employers to ever give money to union officials in the first place.- theaustralian.au/opinion/columnists/commission-hot-seat-doesnt-end-with-gillards-evidence/story-fnkdypbm-1227057019946#
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 00:39:42 +0000
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