Corporate & Business Member$11,000 inc gst
Full Member*$5,500 inc gst
Private Patron$22,000 inc gst

Membership Level & Benefits
5 Boardroom Events/including one guest
10 Boardroom Events/including one guest
End of Year Reception/including one guest
Private VIP Boardroom Function
Policy Forums and Receptions/including one guest
Membership of Friends of Joe
2 North Sydney Business Forums
* not-for-profit sector
All of this was of course done behind Joe's back... Where Joe is wheeled in at functions and dinners without knowing where he is nor why he is there... And by the way there is a "Chamber of Commerce" in North Sydney... The New South Wales chapter...:
15/140-142 Arthur Street, North Sydney NSW 2060, Australia
-----------------------------
From IA:

Collins started asking Joe about the NSF:

Nothing to do with me.

But your name and photo are all over its website?

Dunno. You’re asking the wrong person Dr Collins, ask the NSF.

So, you’re saying your name and image have been used without your knowledge?

People do that all the time, Dr Collins, I’m famous. I’m the Treasurer of Australia, don’t forget.

But the money the NSF raises goes to you, doesn’t it?

No, no, no, not at all, it all goes straight to the Liberal Party; I get nothing, never taken a cent.

Why did you launch the NSF?

Well, there was no chamber of commerce for North Sydney and I thought we needed one.

But, there was a chamber of commerce?

Oh. I mean no effective chamber of commerce.

So the NSF is for local businesses?

Oh yes, networking and stuff. Local small business is in the nature of a chamber of commerce.

Do you know who the members are?

Not all of them, no. Dr Collins, I am a very busy man, I attend many thousands of meetings and functions and…

Did you know the New Zealand-based Fortune Technology Company – a poker machine manufacturer – is a member?

No, but so what?

How about the ACT-based Brewer’s Association of Australia and New Zealand — a lobby group; is that of no concern?

No.

How about Asciano, the Melbourne-based giant in the logistics business?

Nup. Well, only recently, yeah.

What about the Bus Industry Confederation? That a concern?

No. I’m still proud of my bus-driver’s licence.
Read more: https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/joe-hockey-as-beached-as,7464

 

An article headlined "Treasurer for sale" that sparked defamation action by Joe Hockey was in the public interest, the Fairfax journalist who wrote it has told a court.

The Federal Court is examining whether Mr Hockey's reputation was damaged by a series of reports last year, including the article "Treasurer for sale".

The reports, published in newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and online, related to Mr Hockey's involvement with Liberal Party fundraising group the North Sydney Forum (NSF).

Sydney Morning Herald state political editor Sean Nicholls told the court he believed the story was in the public interest because there was "significant public debate about donations being tied to access to politicians".

He said he sent an email to Mr Hockey on Friday, May 2 requesting information about the Treasurer's involvement with NSF.

Mr Nicholls asked for a response by Sunday, May 4 and the story was published the following day.

"My intention was to give Mr Hockey a very reasonable time to answer questions," he said.

Mr Hockey's lawyer, Bruce McClintock SC, asked Mr Nicholls why his email to the Treasurer's office before publication did not ask Mr Hockey directly why he was providing "privileged access" to the NSF "in return for fees worth tens of thousands of dollars".

"There's no need to say that," Mr Nicholls said.

"It would have been blindingly obvious given the type of political experience Mr Hockey has or indeed to the media professionals in his office that that was the type of article being prepared."

Mr Nicholls said he had tried to "do the right thing by the Treasurer" by going directly to his office.

The Treasurer said on Tuesday that he was too busy preparing for his first budget to respond to Mr Nicholls's email.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-11/fairfax-journalist-says-joe-hockey-story-in-public-interest/6301668

In the picture at top, there is person called John Hart, with Joe Hockey... In his "in the dock" declaration, Joe Hockey suggested that there was NO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE to speak of... blah blah...  Is this the same John Hart whose curriculum is the :

"Deputy Chair of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, etc."? also presently the CEO of the "Restaurant and Catering Association" as indicated by his profile?

Could I be wrong to think he is? Can someone enlighten me?...

 

Columnist Peter FitzSimons said in an email to Goodsir that Hockey was considering defamation action because of the headline and that he “wants blood”.

“Darren, I guess you know Joe is talking defamation, he wants blood,” FitzSimons wrote on the day the story was published on page one, 5 May 2014.

Fitzsimons also said he thought Hockey, a friend, was “an honest man” who “would never get close to anything like that”.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/12/i-didnt-set-out-to-crucify-joe-hockey-says-sydney-morning-herald-editor

-------------------------------

Whether Joe is an honest man or not is not my question here... When something is "for sale", it does not mean that the something knows it is for sale. In the case of Joe, one should ask what is the purpose of the North Sydney Forum if it claims that it is to offer practical support for Joe Hockey and get some mighty cash for doing so. Where does the cash goes? According to Joe Hockey it goes to the Liberal Party... Thus the chairman of the North Sydney Forum, who could also be the deputy Chairman Chamber of Commerce ( coincidentally someone with the same name) which to me if this was the case, sounds like a person with a major conflict or more simply a bias in the operation of the (North Sydney) Chamber of Commerce (of which I believe, possibly wrongly, its main executives don't believe in anthropogenic global warming — thus are anti-scientific and evidence ignoramuses).

Could it appears that Joe was used as a bait to fill the coffers of the Liberal Party for no return to the "investors"?. And Joe seemed to be happy helping the NSF along... So is the headline "Pots for sale" "or "access to Joe for cash" misleading? No, whether the pots know they are being sold or not is irrelevant, the fact is cash was collected for access to Joe. In no way does this impute that Joe "can be bought" despite "being for sale" (cash transactions are made by dudes to be part of Joe's mob), nor does it imputes that he is going to do favours... but those who pay BIG cash for access would hope for "some return"  — otherwise why "access Joe"? For having an afternoon cup of tea? Yeah... No. To push for ideas that are the kind that would make the IPA proud. Yeah...

Has the Forum tricked everybody... including Joe who may have believed he was being accessed for no reason at all...?

Joe may be a nice guy, but to me he is a hopeless treasurer (not even an economist)... Quick to blame others (Labor) for "his" decisions, unless others made the decisions for him in his own party... The choice of tightening the belt or opening the wallet done on ideological grounds is always versed in controversy — and no other government in the history of this fair country has been so incompetent in finding the fair balance necessary for everybody to live a decent life. Not Joe's fault I suspect, but he is part of the crap... The one thing for sure is that Joe was unsuccessful  in "selling his pots" — that ghastly 2014 budget... 

 

Standing by his "Treasurer for sale" headline, he said: "The reason it became the headline is because it is an accurate reflection of the story. The Treasurer is for sale." 

The North Sydney Forum was offering VIP access to Mr Hockey in return for membership fees of up to $22,000. There was a "world of difference" between that and the access gained at Rotary or soccer games, Goodsir said in response to Mr McClintock's claim that forum members were no more privileged than thousands of other Australians who met the Treasurer.

But it was not illegal and it did not make Mr Hockey corrupt, Goodsir said.

Mr McClintock raised an email Goodsir received from his columnist, Peter FitzSimons, referring to the "likely unfortunate headline". It said Hockey was an honest man and would "never get close to anything like corruption – and I don't think we accuse him of it".

Goodsir told the court this was also his view of Hockey.

"It was then and it is now."

read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/joe-hockey-defamation-trial-treasurer-watches-dissection-of-his-own-crucifixion-20150312-142lr8.html

 

Disclaimer: Gus Leonisky has met Joe Hockey ages ago in his other Gus incarnation of crowd-for-rent and I can vouch that Joe did not pay a cent towards shaking the illustrious hand of Gus Leonisky. 

 

Mr Hockey took 11 of his federal Coalition colleagues, plus staff, on the government's 737 business jet from Canberra to Melbourne on the evening of May 15 last year, shortly after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten delivered his budget reply speech to the Parliament.

The cost of the flight was $2640, in addition to the usual operating costs of the RAAF's so-called special purpose aircraft. The plane returned to Canberra empty at a further cost of $2310 the same night.

The main purpose of the trip was a breakfast speech Mr Hockey delivered to the Higgins 200 Club, one of the Liberals' most successful fundraising groups. The club was set up to support the member for the safe Liberal seat of Higgins, currently occupied by rising star Kelly O'Dwyer.

Mr Hockey told the 850-strong gathering that the budget was "right for the nation" and "right for the Australian people".

Mr Hockey's office told Fairfax Media he used the VIP jet because he was required to attend Mr Shorten's evening speech, and had media commitments afterwards, and was therefore "unable to catch a commercial flight that evening to Melbourne". The office said the breakfast was an open event, with school groups and media. Mr Hockey also had a meeting with the Victorian treasurer.

Mr Hockey's office also pointed out Liberal treasurers and shadow treasurers have attended the breakfast every year for the last 19 years. Mr Hockey is scheduled to address the club after this year's budget.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott was hit by revelations on Tuesday he used a taxpayer-funded jet to attend a lavish birthday party in Melbourne for Liberal Party donor Paul Marks on Sunday.

read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/taxpayers-billed-20000-for-joe-hockeys-vip-flights-to-sell-budget-to-liberal-party-faithful-20150324-1m6754.html

 

 

 

On Tuesday evening, Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinis said Mr Hockey was "not a bloke who can be pushed over, or bought".

"I can tell you no-one owns Joe Hockey," he told the ABC's Radio National.

"I resent implication politicians can be bought. I go to lots of lunches and dinners, you don't have to buy access to any of us."

read mor: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joe-hockey-fairfax-defamation-case-rights-commissioner-says-law-reform-needed-20150630-gi1dps.html

----------------------

 

 

May I point out to Mr Sinodinis (sic) that the North Sydney Forum was set up to do exactly this: Paying access up to $20,000 into the Liberal (CONservative) Party coffers to access Joe Hockey.

Joe is a great supporter for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation... 

 

And of course Mr Sinodinis (sic) should have watched 4-Corners ABC TV about how the Mafia bought politicians in this country.

In the top left hand corner of the Porkiegraph today (1 July 2015) the vignette says: "Sydney Morning Herald HUMILIATED"... Between you, me and a convention of dung beetles in Sin City, this is glorious humiliation. The headline was worth every cent of the cash paid. Joe IS NOT AN ECONOMIST. His appearances at the North Sydney Forum were designed to cash up the Liberal (CONservative) Party. What else do you want to know....

 

This is not a good outcome for Joe Hockey. According to the federal court on Tuesday, the articles in Fairfax’s three largest metropolitan newspapers and websites that he so vehemently insisted defamed him, did no such thing.

It was the associated promotional aspects – posters and tweets – that resulted in the award of $200,000 to assist the treasurer salve his hurt feelings.

The Sydney Morning Herald described it as a “partial” victory. From Hockey’s point of view it’s not even as good as that, when you consider he asked the federal court for more than $1m in damages. He’s certainly not been “overly vindicated”.

When it comes to the costs of the case it’s probably a lot worse for the “successful” plaintiff. Since he lost the substantive part of the litigation about the defamatory meaning of the articles, and since most of the time at the trial was spent on that issue, Fairfax would be entitled to ask for a differential costs order.

Hockey’s and Fairfax’s legal costs would be of the order approaching $1m each. Sydney media lawyer Graham Hryce points out that the court has a discretion to award costs to a losing party where that party has succeeded on key issues.

Three-quarters of Hockey’s case failed and if there was a differential costs order in favour of those parts that Fairfax successfully defended, Hockey can say goodbye to his $200,000. It will be gobbled up in costs, plus more.

The treasurer may yet rue the day that he ever embarked on this misadventure. The hideous prospect of an expensive appeal that will tie him up in a squabble over imputations and damages is the last thing anyone wants – let alone a senior politician. To think that this would be a clean win, in and out of court with a bag full of money, shows the treasurer’s misjudgment.

Essentially it was important journalism that was under attack in this case: an article published across the Fairfax platforms by the Sydney Morning Herald’s state political correspondent, Sean Nicholls, on an aspect of the murky relationships between politicians and the people and organisations funding their political parties. He wrote:

Treasurer Joe Hockey is offering privileged access to a select group including business people and industry lobbyists in return for tens of thousands of dollars to the Liberal Party via a secretive fund-raising body whose activities are not fully disclosed to election funding authorities.

 

--------------------------------------

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/01/victory-has-an-exciting-new-meaning-after-hockeys-fairfax-defamation-win

 

Read from top...

 

Of course, it is entirely possible the Hockey bank balance will not suffer even if costs are awarded against him because he has, well, resources he can draw on. It is the Liberal way.

The puzzle continues to be: why did Joe do it?  He must have known the Fairfax allegations that cashed-up NSF members gained privileged access to his ear were true.

In court, he presented as an arrogant bully; maybe he was just so full of himself he thought the court might be cowed by his righteous outrage.

Or maybe it was part of a Team thing to see just how far they can go to frighten the media.

Intriguing.

https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/the-puzzle-of-joe-hockey-vs-fairfax,7899

 

Why did Joe did it?... Because... I have no idea...

But thinking about it, one could believe that Joe had been deviously inspired by someone in the Murdoch media to get at Fairfax? I don't know...

May be Joe thought his belief in god was so strong that he could not loose? I don't know...

May be Joe though he was "morally" right to be offended, but did not look at the situation properly that, basically, he did not see that "someone" was selling access to him for big cash?...I don't know...

May be Joe though that a hollow "victory" was worth it, that is to say get savaging headlines in the Murdoch media against Fairfax, making Joe look like a winner against the competition of the Merdoch press.? Who knows...

 

Fairfax has been ordered to pay 15% of treasurer Joe Hockey’s costs following a court case in which he claimed an article headlined “Treasurer for sale” alongside tweets and posters were defamatory. Fairfax has to pay all of its costs.

The treasurer had argued Fairfax should pay 95% of his costs in submission on 14 July, but Fairfax was aiming for Hockey to pay 60% of its legal costs. Each side is estimated to have spent about $1m in the battle.

Hockey also lost his attempt for an injunction to prevent Fairfax Media repeating the claims in the stories.

Given Hockey’s legal bills were estimated to be $1m, the 15% in costs will give him about $150,000. Combined with his $200,000 damages payment the treasurer could be left about $650,000 out of pocket by the defamation action. The case will have cost Fairfax Media about $1.35m.

The Fairfax stories detailed how a fundraising body, the North Sydney Forum, offered a place at lunches and events with Hockey in exchange for membership fees of up to $22,000.

Money paid to the forum was passed on to the Liberal party as donations.

Hockey had a partial win in the case in June when the court found two tweets by the Age about the story and Sydney Morning Herald posters advertising it with the phrase “Treasurer for sale” were defamatory. However, the articles were not found to be defamatory and Hockey was awarded $200,000.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/22/treasurer-for-sale-defamation-case-fairfax-must-pay-15-of-hockeys-costs

-------------------------------

Read from top...

Former treasurer Joe Hockey has given his valedictory speech to Federal Parliament, after Labor agreed to back the free trade deal with China and the Government unveiled revised legislation to scale back family tax benefit payments.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-21/federal-parliament-live-blog-october-21/6871396

-----------

One could feel for Joe... Having been lumbered with Tony Abbott for captain making the calls would have been a harrowing experience, though Joe might have been to dopy to notice... Like he did not know about the North Sydney Forum... (see at top). But all in all, he might take some time to go and get a diploma or a phD in Economics. Then he can do some introspection...

 

Joe has been replaced by another religious man who has "Where the hell are You?" tourism experience...

 

Good bye Joe, good bye...

A second Liberal MP said he had spoken to several colleagues who were shocked Ms Bishop had not spoken.

"We all know the shit that went on between Malcolm and Joe but it was a really warm and good speech [from Mr Hockey], but she didn't speak in party room or the chamber. Why couldn't she put a delegation [of diplomats] off for 15 minutes?"

During Mr Hockey's speech, Liberal frontbencher Jamie Briggs, responded to queries about Ms Bishop's early absence by tweeting that the Foreign Minister "is here and was late because she was with a delegation from Iraq".

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/did-julie-bishop-snub-joe-hockey-on-his-last-day-in-parliament-20151021-gkejnw.html#ixzz3pBNGmomj
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook

 

The seat was held by the former treasurer [Joe Hockey] for nearly 20 years and now the party is facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to choose a new candidate.

But some insiders say that opportunity has been missed, and instead of a genuine competition the safe seat is being effectively handed to a party apparatchik, the NSW Liberal Party's acting state president Trent Zimmerman.

Barrister and Liberal Party member Juris Laucis is disappointed in the process, saying that the Liberal Party machine has guaranteed that Mr Zimmerman will win the contest.

"Trent Zimmerman has almost 50 per cent in the bag even before you start the pre-selection voting, and that's not democratic," he told 7.30.

The other two candidates standing against Mr Zimmerman are John Hart, the chief executive of Restaurant and Catering Australia, and Dr Helen Cartledge, an engineer working with the Army.

"I think it is a stitch-up for (Trent) Zimmerman who is the favoured one, favoured by the executive of the state Liberal Party," Mr Laucis said.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-26/north-sydney-preselection-a-stitch-up-say-insiders/6886606

 

Read story from top... Is this the same John Hart, OF THE NORTH SYDNEY FORUM?... OR the "other one" (wink wink) of the Chamber of Commerce that Joe Hockey did not know existed in North Sydney?...

 

That's a blitz political campaigners say is more in line with a marginal seat campaign than a seat with a buffer of 16 per cent.
"It looks like Malcolm's not leaving anything to chance," said one former Liberal Party federal campaign manager, who declined to be named, citing the party's prohibition on media interviews.
The letters pages of north shore newspapers have been crammed with residents complaining about a deluge of advertising material landing in their letterboxes.
Fairfax has compiled a list of advertising material sent to voters and asked three campaign managers from all sides of politics to estimate their cost. They put the party's expenditure at between $400,000 and $500,000.
"It's an awful lot to spend before you even start hitting the streets [on Saturday] and taking staff and office costs [into account]," the Liberal operative said.
The Liberal Party did not respond to questions about the size of its campaign budget but a spokeswoman said it was conducting "a standard suite of byelection activities".
Few in the party can believe the seat is at serious risk of falling to one of 12 independent and minor party challengers.
But the campaign is hoped to limit the damage to the Turnbull government from an expected backlash from voters angry at former treasurer Joe Hockey's resignation and having to vote in a byelection when another federal poll could be only months away.
The bulk of the cost comes from direct mail and advertising, which makes heavy use of Mr Turnbull's image.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/north-sydney-byelection-liberal-party-appears-to-be-pulling-out-all-the-stops-20151202-gldj0f.html#ixzz3tCHQgLHD Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook

read from top.

Advertising on the internet has reached a level of crass polluted mix that is embarrassing. The honchos in charge of massaging my brains (they are a bit soft but not to this damaged level of idiocy) have developed algorithms that know how to compute and spy on my forays into some subjects. For example I often place my busybody nose into the dirty election for the seat of North Sydney, the former bastion of sour grapes Joe Hockey (please read from top), because there is dirt under the carpet. And I busybody myself into investigating the religious rubbish promoted by the CP (the Christian Post) in order to know exactly what hellish crap is being sold by the religious nuts on a daily basis.

It's hard to compete against these tides of turdy flotsam. But the algorithms do not sense the satirical load of my investigation. They only know my visits by numbers : 1 + 1 = 2. Boom. So incongruous mix happen.

This one is quit funny: It's the Christian Post published from the intestines of American evangelical churches mixing with our Prime Minister telling us the goodness of voting for his anointed pick for the seat of North Sydney. Embarrassingly intrusive. If you are a North Sydney resident, please vote for Jesus...

algorithms gone mad

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has defended the Liberals' performance in Saturday's North Sydney by-election, despite the party suffering a big swing against it.

Liberal candidate Trent Zimmerman easily won the federal by-election taking out 47.6 percent of the vote, however the result represented a 13.4 percent swing against the party in the blue-ribbon seat.

Labor did not field a candidate in the contest which was sparked when former Treasurer Joe Hockey quit parliament in October.

Speaking on Sunday, Peter Dutton played down the significant swing.

"Nobody likes by-elections, people are reluctant to turn up to the polling booths every three years and so there's generally a bit of a backlash just because of that," Dutton told Sky Channel.

read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/12/06/liberal-candidate-trent_n_8728718.html?ncid=edlinkauhpmg00000001

 

Not all hospitality casuals are looking for full-time work

Young people working in restaurants and cafes may beg to differ with the findings of the Fairfax national employment survey that 74 per cent of 18 to 30 year olds in casual work desire a permanent position ("Casual workers living on the edge", March 29). Too often the specifics of hospitality work are lost in the wider debate over workplace relations.

Restaurant & Catering Australia has conducted its own poll asking whether young casuals in our industry would trade off the 25 per cent casual loading for additional employee benefits, as proposed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions at hearings last week before the Fair Work Commission. Our preliminary results show 66 per cent of those surveyed would opt for the extra cash over extra benefits.

Young people working in hospitality know that life is a trade-off and that you cannot expect additional wages as well as the employee benefits that come with a permanent contract. Under these plans, a casual cafe worker on $25 an hour could be faced with a $5 hourly pay cut, taking home $50 less a week on a typical mid-week roster of 10 hours. This is a real issue for the restaurant sector as casuals make up around 56 per cent of our workforce, or around 270,000 employees across Australia .

Young people are drawn to waiting and kitchen work because of its flexibility. They fit work in around study, hobbies or family commitments. Fixed rosters coupled with a 20 per cent pay cut would make restaurant jobs less appealing.

John Hart chief executive, Restaurant & Catering Industry Association

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/malcolm-turnbull-must-show-leadership-at-coag-over-campaign-funding-flaws-20160329-gnsvi9.html#ixzz44RUAhCHd 

Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook

 

How decent of John Hart of the Restaurant & Catering Industry Association to write to defend the views of casual employees and their desire for extra cash over permanency (Letters March 30).

Isn't his association part of the push to end weekend and holiday penalty rates, or did the staff indicate that this was too much money for them to handle?

Brenton McGeachie Queanbeyan West

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/james-packers-odious-podium-problem-20160330-gntx4h.html#ixzz44RTq2R2m 
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook

Remember that John Hart is the same fellow (as far as I know) from the infamous North Sydney Forum that sold front stalls to those rich enough who wanted to hear Joe Hockey deliver his (crappy) budget first hand... See from top...