The Small Print

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There is never a dull moment in Jacksonville it would seem.

Kathy Jackson, apparently, has tired of the idea of taking on Federal Court judge, Justice Flick and his idea of appointing an administrator to the HSU, dropping her appeal against Flicks ruling. Now that so much of the members money has been wasted on the process, she has now walked past a cafe and smelt the coffee apparently. The best option now is to call elections as quickly as possible she tells us.

Does this mean she has found new factional allies suddenly? I have heard murmurs of her doing deals with those running tickets, that until this announcement I would not have thought likely at all.

My gut tells me, and it speaks loudly at times, that this is primarily due to the Temby Reports release.

You see, now that the much awaited Temby Report is out, Kathy, seems to think she has some clear air to make a dash for elections. After all, Kathy has been claiming proudly that the Temby Report exonerates her, and shows she was right all along.

Far from it in fact.

The Temby Report did not go into any of the allegations, actions, or running of the Victorian branches. Branches like the HSU #1 Branch, and the #3 Branch merged with HSU NSW and formed HSU East. While the investigation went into allegations regarding Michael Williamson, pre-merger in NSW, nothing into the Victorian allegations was looked into.

For Kathy Jackson to claim this report exonerates her is totally and utterly ridiculous. This is like a historian doing a report on the history of European war crimes, leaving out Germany completely, and forgetting anything that happenned after 1938, and then claims being made that the report exonerates Adolph Hitler.

Jackson’s claims are that stupid and ludicrous…

As for Temby’s report showing that Kathy was right about saying there was corruption within the HSU.

Well tie me down and call me Nancy, what a revelation that was… One only has to take a quick peek to see it appears rife with corruption, pointing out the bleedin’ obvious does not exonerate you Kathy, it just shows that you have marginally better powers of observation than the average 2 year old. After all, Craig Thomson was talking about internal corruption long before you were, before you took your position actually. Exoneration… pfft.

Here’s a link to a video alleging corruption and thuggery from way back in 2009.

Exonerated? The shady side is still on show

Seeing as though the Temby Report is out, I thought a Wixxy Report might be in order. I’ll warn you, I’m no QC, however I won’t bore you with 91 pages of crap, though I have been looking into the goings on within this Union for quite a while now and have points that others seem to have missed, despite the advantages of time and resorces.

My report may not be as formal as others, but you may be pleased to know, it is no less opinionated than the Temby Report. I just like to think my brief report will be easier to read, and will waste less ink and paper if someone deems it worthy of printing.

The one thing I know members will love about my brief report is this. It won’t cost them Jack-Shit. Some people will say that is what it’s worth, but hey, at least I’m trying to provide value, a little bit of bang for no bucks.

The Wixxy Report

Temby Report

91 pages and $465,300 later, approximately $5113.18 per page, we have the Temby Report.

For this Temby was paid $223,300, and his bean counter Robertson $242,000 including GST.

Kate McClymont of Fairfax however, despite having contributed seemingly vast amounts of the information received nothing.

If I was Kate, I’d be shooting off an invoice. Her work seemed to be the basis of much of the report, and I reckon she has been hard done by.

For the Union members, the cost must seem outlandish. In fact given that the paper Kate McClymont writes for, the Sydney Morning Herald, costs $1.70, the union could have just purchased a copy of the paper each day. They could have done this for over 749 years and still saved money, plus they would have had pictures and TV Guides.

The Temby report suggests that there should be more tenders for services provided to the Union. Given the quality of this report, and the fact that there was no tender process involved when Temby was appointed the job, he may well have a point.

In true professional manner, Temby has chosen to include a few things in his report that others may have neglected. Things others would consider private, like home addresses, and salary details of employees that are not executives or elected officials.

However, just when you think it can’t sink any lower, there is a former employee named, for no real reason it would seem other than to smear them, who retired in 2002. Why on earth would Temby name them? I would suggest that this is bad form, except for one thing, the person involved passed away 4 years ago. In my mind that makes it totally reprehensible, and utterly disgusting, it also shows a total lack of respect.

The Temby report had guidelines, which are detailed in the document below which details the Union Council Motion.

Special Union Council Meeting Sept 2011

The report, it is clearly stated, is to be on HSU East, not any other branches. However there is a point which raises the prospect of looking into related branches that merged to form HSU East, branches such as HSU NSW, and the number 1 and 3 branches in Victoria. That point is

“Other matters as determined appropriate by the Independent Panel”

With that in mind the “Independent Panel” decided that it was not appropriate to look into the older branches like Branch 1 and Branch 3, the ones run by Jeff and Kathy Jackson.

However, in a further display of their independence, in the investigation into NSW, things were a little different. Looking at the HSU NSW branch, run by Michael Williamson, it seemed entirely appropriate to go beyond the report parameters apparently. Well past them.

The companies listed below were investigated, and have had outstanding payments withheld in some circumstances. All of these companies were dealing with the HSU before HSU East was formed.

Canme

Communigraphix

Access Focus

United Edge

Mah Chut Architects

Studio 19

Imaging Partners

Some of these companies are owned or partlially owned, by the Williamson family, such as Canme, United Edge, and Studio 19, so I guess that is fair enough to delve into. But  why the others?

Also, why not investigate Koukouvaos Consulting, Neranto #10, and Pinpoint Training? They are all owned by the Jacksons, and all have large amounts of union money going through them seemingly. That would show an equivalent standard of practice surely.

I guess that independence is just an aspiration for Temby, as it doesn’t seem to play out that way in practice.

This raises questions over whether in fact Temby is just a puppet, and makes one wonder who may be puling his strings…

Later in the report wage rises are mentioned. After amalgamation, Peter Mylan received a lucky 13% increase, for performing a monumental task of holding the union together through its biggest crisis. Michael Williamson received a 25% increase that is questionable at best.

However Kathy Jackson received a whopping 66%, and Marco Bolano received an utterly obscene 70% rise, for, from what I can see, absolutely nothing.

One interesting thing that did, or maybe didn’t is more appropriate. come out of the report however was the total lack of any evidence regarding Craig Thomson.

Temby talks of nepotism throughout the union, like it is a disease that plagued NSW. There are Jackson family and friends littered all thoughout Victoria, even Michael Lawler’s kids were employed by Jackson. Yet none of this was worthy of a mention? Strange indeed.

Temby, it appears, does not like to see friends, or particularly family being promoted in the workplace. This may explain the image below.

Paedophiles and bitches?? Classy stuff…

People know I like to talk about pots and kettles a bit, so this one was a gift.

The Cupco flyer, pictured above, was attached to documents circulated by Temby within the HSU. The idea being to promote his son Luke, and his upcoming exhibition of dolls.

What good form from the QC, and what a fine display of taste also, to attached a flyer advertising a display of “Paedophiles, Bitches, Shitler, Gadaffi”. Very nice….

So, far from the Temby report being a smoking gun, the final report bears more resemblance to a steaming turd.

But that’s just my opinion.

The Fair Work Australia Investigation

One of the longest investigations in Australia’s history was finally thrust in our faces at long last on the 7^th May 2012.

The investigation seemed to have broad parameters, find corruption by anybody whose surname is not Jackson seemingly.

The investigation by Fair Work Australia has seen the President of FWA, Iain Ross, repeatedly refuse to endorse it in any way. The investigation has also launched a Senate Enquiry.

The Secretary of the union supposedly being investigated, Kathy Jackson told the world how she used to discuss the investigation in depth with her fiancé at home on the ABC’s 7 30, a PDF file even shows that she accessed a FWA computer during the investigation. Could that be because her fiancé is the Vice-President?

Michael Lawler, the VP of FWA, appointee of Tony Abbott, and son of a Liberal Party legend and board member of a Catholic Political Lobby group, Sir Peter Lawler, is now best known as the fiancé of Kathy Jackson.

Michael Lawler is also the man whom Jeff Jackson had allegedly complained to the FWA President about, re conflicts of interest due to the HSU, and his wife at the time, Kathy Jackson. Lawler is also the man that General Secretary Peter Mylan, complained to FWA was repeatedly interfering in union business.

Lawler’s fiancé, and HSU’s secretary, Jackson, was also the one who delivered boxes of evidence to the investigator, Terry Nassios. Although Nassios complained that the boxes had been opened and any evidence compromised.

It is of little surprise then, that the findings seemed to totally miss the mountains of documentation that raised questions about Jackson.

The FWA investigation, despite taking years, is worth didley squat in my mind, maybe less. This is due to it relying on hearsay, evidence that has now been discredited by its own source, and allowing documentation to be allegedly tampered with.

FWA investigator Terry Nassios said it best when describing his own investigation, when he said it “would not stand up to police scrutiny”

Well Terry, we kind of hoped it might…

Wixxy’s Opinion and Recomendations

Facing court in Victoria currently, are Pauline Fegan and Shaun Hudson. These people are bit players, however justice should run its course, and we should wait and see what the court decides their fate should be.

Also facing court in Victoria is Jeff Jackson. Jeff however, is not a bit player, not at all.

I would recommend a forensic audit of the entire HSU number 1 Branch, Jeff’s old branch. There are many questions raised in my earlier posts raised by credit card expenditure on things such as brothels, travel, restaurants, and even Foxtel subscriptions, which appear on Jeff’s union credit card statement. There are also issues with Jeff’s entitlements after his employment ceased at the union. For example why did he still have a company car until April 2012, and why was he allegedly still receiving payments from the Union years after finishing there? The forensic audit should go back to a year before Jeff Jackson became secretary, is my view.

Jeff Jackson, looking over his shoulder…

Craig Thomson, in my opinion should be left alone. If he has in fact done something wrong, and I’m not saying at all that he hasn’t, it is minor. The media talked up the allegations against him, plastering them all over the front pages, but largely ignored the explanations that have so far cleared him. He has been investigated by everybody but Inspector Gadget, and yet no charges have been laid. If there is something there with substance, let’s save his poor family the death by a thousand cuts and deal with it, otherwise, let’s build a bridge and focus on bigger things.

When it comes to Michael Williamson, I don’t know how much more needs to be done…

I mean,seriously, Michael has more questions to answer than a contestant on Jeopardy. Let’s just get on with it, enough of the delays and dragged out investigations.

There are many people who would like nothing more than to get on with their lives. Unfortunately, their fate is tied up with the Michael Williamson investigation through no fault of their own. All they did was accept work in good faith it would seem.

There is seemingly a mountain of evidence for the courts to wade through, and it gives the appearance that Williamson ran the union like a family business.

Let’s roll our sleeves up, grit our teeth, and let rip. If we need more investigators, let’s get them, this whole mess has taken way too long.

I think Kathy Jackson is 100% right, she is overpaid. The HSU number 3 branch needs a forensic audit, and needs a forensic investigation into its activities, its expenditure, and above all its management and leadership.

Kathy Jackson should be investigated as heavily as Michael Williamson. With the sheer amount of unexplained expenditure allegedly connected to her, I do not understand what is holding things up.

Below is a leaked letter sent to the Victorian Police Commissioner from Peter Mylan detailing items that need police investigation.

Vic Police Letter

My investigations have uncovered more information on some of these queries, as have internal HSU investigations, however it is well past the time for police to ramp up their efforts. I am aware Victoria Police are investigating, however again things are moving way too slow.

A Judicial Enquiry is required for the FWA investigation which has become a farce, with the President refusing to endorse it, and the investigator claiming it would not stand up to police scrutiny. Questions have been raised such as, why was the investigation so weak? Why did it take so long? Why did the union secretary have access to FWA computers? And why did Michael Lawler become so involved in HSU affairs? These questions need to be answered.

A Senate Enquiry has failed to address these issues. One member of that enquiry, Eric Abetz, has already seen his name appear on Jackson’s phone records, so a Judicial Enquiry is necessary.

Eric Abetz, the Jacksonville Speed Dial Senator?

I would also recommend a Royal Commission, or an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption into Liberal Party involvement, and influence over the investigations.

We have seen phone calls and texts to Eric Abetz’s staff and NSW Finance minister Greg Pearce. Tony Abbott has been making passionate speeches in Parliament praising Jackson. We have also seen Jackson making speeches at HR Nicholls events.

I would also like to see Rob Elliott stop receiving a wage despite not having worked at the union since 2002.  Marco Bolano’s right hand man, Jamie Martorana also still recieves payment despite no longer working there. This is not good enough, members money should be spent defending members, not paying mates.

For anything less than the above to occur, is to deliver a half-assed effort, and is in my view only going to confirm suspicions of corrupt practices at work.

It is also worth noting, that this union controls over 600 delegate votes at ALP conferences. That is quite a substantial number, and quite a bit of power.

The union members are predominantly left leaning, however the votes under the management of Michael Williamson have propped up the ALP Right vote.

I for one, would like to see the members delegates vote in a way that that reflects the wishes of the members, not the leader being investigated for corruption.

After all, that what it’s all about isn’t it?

The Members

Some of you in the union may remember them.

The ones who pay your wages…

If you would like to see the total investigation, so far, into the HSU scandal, check out the dedicated Jacksonville page at Independent Australia.

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