Daily, it seems, we receive more information on Kathy Jackson’s activities in her role as Secretary of the HSU. Much of this information leads us to ask serious questions.

Once again, I must stress that in no way am I saying that Jackson is guilty of anything. I am, however, looking forward to hearing her explanations for the transactions we have shown previously, and the ones we will expose in this article.

[If you have not read our previous articles, it is worth reading them here for background into this detailed investigation: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four,Part Five, Part Six & Part Seven.]

Before I do that, I need to answer a pertinent question myself; some have asked if the documentation that has come into my possession has been shown to the relevant authorities.

I can confirm that Victorian Police have copies of all documents shown in our articles, as well as all other documentation — and, further, I am also passing the documents on to Strikeforce Carnarvon in NSW. Both have active investigations in progress on these matters and more will come to light over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Peter Mylan, the Acting General Secretary of HSU East, has been trying to clean up the accounts. Part of this job involves investigating the expenses that remain unexplained from when Kathy Jackson was controlling the expenditure.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/thomson-8-the-hsu-family/

Apparently some of the so called transaction receipts for the "brothels" were actually rejected by the bank...

There are many suspicious features about Craig Thomson’s Health Services Union imbroglio, but notable among them are the apparently close links between HSU “whistleblower” Kathy Jackson and Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. Peter Wicks uncovers a very tangled web.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/how-the-hsu-tangled-jackson-lawler-and-thomson-with-abbott/

The big news is that Michael Lawler, the Vice President of Fair Work Australia, has today been distanced from FWA affairs.

I contacted Fair Work Australia today after anonymous sources informed me that he had been stood down. Initially I spoke to Michael’s PA, who informed me she knew nothing — only that he was not in the office all day.

But the rumours persisted and I made contact with the FWA to ask about their veracity. Late this afternoon I was contacted by FWA’s Communications Manager, Judy Hughes, who informed me that in fact Michael was on what she called “Long Leave”.

She would not expand on what this meant, citing “privacy reasons”, however based on my earlier conversations with both her and Michael’s PA, I was left with the impression that this decision was taken rather suddenly.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/the-jackson-and-lawler-hsu-tangle-part-two/

Craig Thomson has been only convicted in the kangaroo court of mainstream media and conservative politics — he is entitled to the presumption of innocence. Peter Wicks comments.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/craig-thomsons-kangaroo-court/

She spoke out not to get Craig Thomson MP, she said, but to clean up the HSU. But, in a stunning IA exclusive, Peter Wicks uncovers compelling documentary evidence to suggest HSU “whistleblower” Kathy Jackson may have herself misappropriated Union funds.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/thomson-and-jackson-5-sticky-fingers/

Another ground-breaking investigative report from Peter Wicks shows evidence of huge unexplained payments being made to HSU “whistleblower” Kathy Jackson — as Craig Thomson’s so-called “conspiracy theories” begin to look more and more believable.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/thomson-6-the-falling-few-and-the-fall-guy/

What I do find interesting, however, are the handwritten numbers at the top of the credit card slip. On the right hand side is, of course, the date. However, it is the numbers in the centre top that interest me.

Those who have ever used the old clunky credit card imprinter machines may remember that, for larger dollar transactions (usually over $50), the vendor would call the bank and receive a 6 digit authorisation code — that is what those 6 squares on the slip are for. For a transaction the size of the one Thomson is alleged to have made, an authorisation code would have definitely been required, otherwise the bank may not have honoured the charge. I don’t believe that brothels are the charitable types when it comes to free service, though I am not speaking from experience.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/thomson-7-credit-card-slips-clarifications-and-truth-bombs/

I recall an investigation into a judge in Sydney over a speeding ticket. You may remember, Marcus Einfeld, a man who Iain Ross would probably class as beyond reproach, given his opinion on Lawler’s accountability. After all, Einfeld took an oath and was a judge. However, he was caught speeding by a camera, and then tried to say it wasn’t him — that it was, apparently, a woman driving, Unfortunately for Marcus, the woman he named was dead at the time of the offence…

I think this matter warrants more attention than a speeding ticket.

Iain Ross, the President of Fair Work Australia, interviewed by Leigh Sales on 7.30, refused to stand by the Investigation into the HSU, repeatedly.

Alarm bells anyone?

Currently, Jackson is in Federal Court, fighting against the wishes of  the membership, the National Branch, HSU East, and the Government, to demerge the branches and to appoint an administrator to clean this whole sordid mess up once and for all. Once an administrator is in place, forensic audits are likely to be done on the Union’s finances, including the approximately 400 boxes of sealed evidence from a previous Victorian Police Investigation, which have now been reopened.

Once again, one wonders what Jackson has to hide.

Still, it’s not all bad for Kathy Jackson — shock jock Alan Jones, a man Tony Abbott proudly calls a “mate”, is rumoured to be holding a fundraiser to help Jackson raise $40,000 for her legal bill.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/thomson-8-the-hsu-family/

A Federal Court judge has queried whether action should be taken against Kathy Jackson for contacting his chambers without the knowledge of other parties in the dispute surrounding the Health Services Union.

This morning, Justice Geoffrey Flick said Ms Jackson, the national secretary of the HSU, had "directly communicated" with his associate over an affidavit and submissions she attempted to file with the court over the weekend.

He also criticised her solicitors, Harmers Workplace Lawyers, over its handling of various documents in the proceedings and asked for the parties to address him on the need for action to be taken against them.

Justice Flick said he would not allow scandalous allegations to be made public.

"This case is going to be conducted in court and not in the newspapers," Justice Flick said.

A prostitute reportedly offered a large sum of money by the Nine Network now says she cannot say for certain she slept with federal MP Craig Thomson.
The woman has told the Seven Network the executive producer of A Current Affair, Grant Williams, had contacted her in May offering to pay her $60,000 to fly to Sydney.
But she declined to accept the money, claiming she was in New Zealand in May 2005, when she supposedly had Mr Thomson as a client.
Appearing on Today Tonight in an unpaid interview, the woman apologised to Mr Thomson.
"It was just a terrible case of mistaken identity," she said.

Fair Work Australia vice-president Michael Lawler has hired a lawyer to represent him in a court battle over the future of the Health Services Union (HSU), after allegations he has been defamed.

Federal Court Judge Geoffrey Flick is hearing an application to put the troubled HSU East branch into administration.

On the second day of the hearing, the Federal Court was told it may mean job losses for union officials and that national secretary Kathy Jackson could lose her $270,000 salary.

Lawyer David Rofe told the court he has been engaged by Mr Lawler, who is not even a party in the case. Mr Lawler is Ms Jackson's partner.

Mr Rofe said Mr Lawler's name has been mentioned in a defamatory way in a number of affidavits that are part of the case.

But Justice Flick said the lawyer was proceeding prematurely because decisions have not yet been made about the affidavits.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-06/court-told-of-defamatory-remarks-against-fwa27s-lawler/4056228

Two tabloid television shows are squabbling over an interview with a former prostitute who now says she never had sex with MP Craig Thomson.

Yesterday a former prostitute came forward on Channel Seven's Today Tonight show to recant her story that Mr Thomson had sex with her and paid for it on his union credit card.

A fortnight ago Channel Nine's A Current Affair was roundly criticised when it announced it had tracked the woman down and admitted offering to pay her a large sum of money.

The interview did not go to air. Instead, ACA handed the tape to police, along with the woman's statutory declaration that she had sex with Mr Thomson.

The woman now says it was all a case of mistaken identity and she contacted Channel Seven to set the record straight.

Unnamed, wearing thick-rimmed glasses and what appeared to be a wig, the Gold Coast-based woman apologised to Mr Thomson during the Today Tonight interview.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-07/tabloid-war-over-thomson-sparks-privacy-concerns/4056916?WT.svl=news0

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/tabloid-tv-in-a-tiff-as-former-prostitute-recants-her-statement-on-thomson-20120606-1zwqi.html#ixzz1x3WcnEph

I can say with certainty that Ms X never had sex with Thomson...

HSU national secretary Kathy Jackson has personally told a Federal Court judge he should disqualify himself, arguing in court she had been denied procedural fairness.
It was an extraordinary morning on the last day of submissions into whether the HSUEast and the east branch of the federal HSU should be placed into administration.
In two hours, Ms Jackson sacked her lawyers, appointed a new one who then said he was unavailable, and made a string of adverse allegations about the conduct of the case so far, including the rejection of any need for an administrator until she had been heard in full.
As the case began, Ms Jackson's barrister Brett Shields told the court his instructions had been withdrawn, as had those of his instructing solicitors.

Hi Gus,

Craig Thomson is looking better all the time .....

Kathy Jackson gives new meaning to the phrase 'whacko jacko'.

Lucky I wasn't the Judge, as she'd be in the slammer for the weekend.

Have a great break.

JR

My "man in the street" is highly knowledgeable of conspiracies and conspiracy structures... He is 99 per cent sure Thomson has been framed big time... have a good weekend too...

...And when the good associate prof Peter Christoff in the article at top says "Labor has failed abysmally to defend this shift. The incoming price on carbon is not a long-term tax but merely a transitional price leading to a long-promised, electorally endorsed and once upon a time Liberal-supported emissions trading scheme." it makes my blood boil... The government is fighting a super-powerful media campaign designed to make sure the concept of "global warming" is buried... buried as well as carbon reduction incentives, ETS and the sciences attached to this. All this is designed to support Tony Abbott's idiotic views. The media campaign has been relentless led by idiots like Alan Jones and Andrew Bolt... Anything the government would do to make people aware of the problem would be touted as "Labor propaganda" and wrong... and in this strong climate of media crap, the proper science will be buried some more...

The problem of global warming is real but cannot be felt directly by us mere mortals when our summer are not super-hot and when our winters are still cold... I repeat here that should we be able to "feel" global warming with our own senses, we'd be cooked within five years...

Note that politics is not a science but an art form... Any "political scientist' like associate prof Peter Christoff is an artist of interpretation of political games, not a scientist in the true sense of the term...

SOMETIMES I wonder what the best job in the world would be. Maybe you’ve done the same?

President of the USA? Nah … too much pressure.

Rock star? Nup. Too much liver damage and too many penicillin shots.

So, how about being paid to not work at the HSU? Well, I must admit, that does sound pretty good. You don’t even have to crawl out of bed for that job!

Unfortunately, it seems that role is already taken and the lucky HSU employee’s name is Rob Elliott.

Rob resigned from the HSU back in 2002 – allegedly with a bit of a nudge and wink – and really hit the jackpot. You see, it seems Rob was too valuable to lose completely, so he kind of stayed … well, collected pay and benefits as a “consultant”.

Union members will be pleased to know their hard earned dollars, paid out in union fees, are being used to secure the talents of somebody who is clearly quite vital — even when he doesn’t show up.

According to sources within the HSU, Rob Elliott has been on the payroll, allegedly without the need to show up or do anything at all, for 10 years.

read more http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/thomson-10-the-best-job-in-jacksonville/

see also: http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/independent-australia-journal/investigations/thomson-9-you-are-now-entering-jacksonville/

The NSW Labor Party paid almost $350,000 in legal costs for Craig Thomson before the troubled MP was suspended from the party in May.

More than two-thirds of the amount - $240,000 - was paid to Fairfax Media, the publisher of the Herald, under a settlement reached a year ago when Mr Thomson withdrew defamation action he instituted in 2009.

Another $108,366.87 was to cover Mr Thomson's other legal expenses and some of Labor's own bills related to the case, taking the total the ALP paid to $348,366.87.

The ALP will divulge the figure at its annual state conference next month after internal pressure from the NSW senator John Faulkner, who argued that members had a right to know.

Party officials contend that, had the ALP not footed the bills, Mr Thomson could have gone bankrupt. This would have disqualified him from being an MP, caused a by-election and most likely caused the Gillard government to fall.

An extract of a report from NSW Labor's finance committee, being prepared for the state conference, has been obtained by the Herald.

It concludes: "While significant legal expenses were incurred and covered by Craig Thomson, the cost of legal expenses to NSW Labor to provide ongoing financial assistance to cover Mr Thomson's legal expenses, including NSW Labor's own bills in relation to these matters, totalled $348,366.87 ($240,000 of which was a defamation settlement with Fairfax).''

One senior official said the figure would be controversial but the party leaders did not want it to turn into an issue of transparency with members.

Mr Thomson sued Fairfax for first publishing the allegations concerning his use of funds when he was national secretary of the Health Services Union.

The report suggests Sussex Street was acting in the party's interest by paying Mr Thomson's expenses in May and June 2011 when his defamation case turned sour. "The party paid these expenses in accordance with its responsibility for the management and administration of all matters which affect the welfare of the party,'' it says.

On September 1 last year, the finance committee received a report concerning the defamation settlement and passed a motion unanimously endorsing the payment of Mr Thomson's costs.

Mr Thomson was still being investigated by Fair Work Australia and the police and on September 2, the party's administrative committee endorsed a motion "to provide ongoing financial assistance to cover his legal expenses''.

On May 4 Mr Thomson was suspended from the party which ''ceased to provide him with financial assistance to cover his legal expenses''.

Fairfax wrote to Mr Thomson last month requesting he correct false evidence he gave to Fair Work Australia concerning his defamation action against the company.

Mr Thomson told FWA last year that Fairfax settled the case because its handwriting expert had concluded ''the signatures on the credit card forms [for brothel receipts] were forged''. He also claimed he had provided Fairfax with alibi evidence which proved he could not have used the prostitutes at the stated times.

Fairfax lawyers wrote to Mr Thomson twice last month saying those claims and others were false and deliberately misleading. He was informed in writing that unless he publicly corrected the record and informed FWA ''as to the false information supplied by you'', the company would do so.

''Despite the clear representation made by you that Fairfax had made a payment to you … it was in fact you that paid Fairfax the sum of $240,000,'' the letter said. Yesterday FWA said it had received no clarification from Mr Thomson.

ALP paid $350,000 for Thomson legal costs

Lawyers for the embattled National Secretary of the Health Services Union, Kathy Jackson, have told the Federal Court she is suffering from a "medical condition" and needs more time to prepare her case against those who are seeking to have HSU East placed into administration.

But the judge in the case, Justice Geoffrey Flick, dismissed Ms Jackson's application for a week-long adjournment, causing her lawyers to leave the court room and not return.
It was the latest twist in the ongoing Federal Court battle initiated by Federal Workplace Relations Minister, Bill Shorten, in a bid to end the factional dysfunction which has paralysed the union amid claims that union officers repeatedly siphoned off funds for their own benefit.

Having dismissed her first set of lawyers and unsuccessfully applied for Justice Flick to disqualify himself last Friday, Ms Jackson returned to court today with a new barrister, David Rofe, QC.

Union boss Kathy Jackson should not keep her position in the East branch of the Health Services Union now that it is under administration because "she is very much at the epicentre of the dispute", Justice Geoffrey Flick has found.

Former Federal Court judge Michael Moore has been appointed administrator of the HSU East after it was declared to have ceased to function effectively amid factional warfare and allegations of misconduct against union officials.

Ms Jackson will lose her position as executive president of the state union, along with her $270,000 a year salary, after Justice Flick dismissed her argument that she would suffer "substantial injustice" if she lost her job.

He said the only option was to vacate all offices and hold new elections for both the state union, HSUeast, and the federal organisation, HSU East branch.

"Irrespective of the merits or otherwise of the allegations she has made, she is at least partly responsible for the collective dysfunction of the federal branch and state union," he said.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/jackson-should-not-keep-position-in-union-judge-20120621-20qjz.html#ixzz1yPhDiW2Z

The 20 minute podcast touches on many subjects, including the Opposition’s “tainted vote” attack on Thomson, and why this was an attempt to effectively remove Dobell from the democratic process.

Craig Thomson also gives his unreserved opinion about Tony Abbott.

Other topics raised include the trial by media that endured throughout 2012 and its effect on Thomson personally, as well as the motivation within some elements of mainstream media to push the story.

Ultimately, Craig Thomson considered whether the media crossed moral, ethical, journalistic and decency lines.

Thomson’s time at the HSU is touched upon, and how it’s been portrayed in a “lazy” mainstream media, especially on how anyone working at the HSU was grouped together without looking at the issues being played out by different factions.

He is also asked whether he would have done things differently if he had his time over again at the HSU.

Finally, Thomson discusses the possibility of legal redress and gives a positive message to Australian – and Dobell – voters.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/exclusive-craig-thomson-opens-up-to-gus/

LABOR'S election campaign could suffer an early setback in the key battleground of NSW, with heightened speculation that Victorian police will shortly lay charges against suspended ALP MP Craig Thomson.

Senior legal sources believe the Victorian fraud squad - which has spent more than a year investigating the former Health Services Union boss - could announce criminal charges before the end of the week.

Mr Thomson is suspended from the Labor Party, but any police charges would be damaging for the Gillard Government and would follow on from charges being laid against former Speaker Peter Slipper earlier this month by the Australian Federal Police.

It is understood Victorian detectives - who have been investigating allegations that Mr Thomson spent thousands of dollars in union funds on prostitutes and other personal items - have concluded their long-running inquiry.

The former Labor MP - who was suspended last year from the ALP Caucus - has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

He is alleged to have used union credit cards - and cash withdrawals - to pay for escort services between 2003 and 2007 while he was HSU national secretary and before he entered federal parliament.

Last night, the MP's Sydney lawyer, Chris McArdle, said he had "heard nothing" from the Victorian police.

He is confident that Mr Thomson will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

"If there is criminal charges, he will be acquitted," Mr McArdle said.

A spokeswoman for Victoria Police said: "The investigation is ongoing and we will not be providing a running commentary."

Yesterday, the FWA filed a further subpoena in the Federal Court as it continued to gather evidence against Mr Thomson.

http://www.news.com.au/national/speculation-that-thomson-will-be-8

Here we see the merde-och press at its best worst, revealing what has not been revealed, nor that cannot be revealed because there is nothing to reveal... It is of course to stir the election possum with "SPECULATIONS" ("heightened")... Dirty big mongrels at the merde-och press... So where does the merde-och press gets its "speculation" information from?... Leaks in the Victorian police? Leaks in the lawyers working for the SHU or FWA? And why bring Peter Slipper's case in the same breath?... and not mention Mal Brough?... Why not hammer Tony Abbott about his stint with "(dis)honest politicians" of which he is the main representative? Ugly ugly merde-och press... It should be charged with comtempt and thrown down the toilet.

Det Supt Dyson earlier claimed that Mr Thomson had been invited to voluntarily travel to Victoria prior to Christmas to "surrender himself".

"He didn't do that - he refused - and the result was the issue of that warrant," he said."

But Mr Thomson's lawyer, Chris McArdle, says that is not true.

"We were invited on December 21 to go to Victoria to be interviewed by the police. It is untrue to say that we were invited to go and surrender our client for arrest."

Mr McArdle says his client contacted him just after 1pm (AEDT) in a "distressed state" to inform him that he was being arrested and charged.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-31/craig-thomson-arrested/4493722

Yes Gus.

It took five plain clothes police from the NSW fraud squad & a contingent of heavily briefed members of the media to secure the capture of rogue politician, Craig Thomson.

Notwithstanding this shameful organised stunt, many might think that Thomson should be grateful for small mercies. After all, unlike Julian Assange, at least he was spared the additional public ignominy of being pronounced guilty by the Prime Minister.

Seems somewhat ironic that, as Craig Thomson finally appears headed for the political exit, Julian Assange is headed for the entrance.

Only possible in a land down-under.

Cheers.