One of the elements of the HSU that has been seldom mentioned in the main stream media is the support for Kathy Jackson by her partner Michael Lawler.
Given his position as the Vice President of Fair Work Commission, whose investigation was the catalyst for most of the legal proceedings related to the Health Services Union, it would be interesting to know at what point that support started and how it started.
Another interesting perspective that has not been ventured into by those in the mainstream is the awkward position this puts Tony Abbott in, given it was Abbott who appointed Michael Lawler to his position as Vice President of FWC when he was a Minister in John Howard’s government.
I am also of the understanding that Michael Lawler cannot be removed from his position unless he either resigns or is stood down by the actions of the Minister. This realistically means that his position is held at the discretion of Tony Abbott who is co-incidentally the man who appointed him.
Most will remember Tony Abbott and his attacks on Craig Thomson for the allegations raised against him that are currently on appeal. The case against Thomson as it stands is for approximately $25K of spending during Thomson’s time as Secretary of the Number 3 Branch of the HSU.
Abbott has spoken of how badly he felt for the low-paid workers of that union that someone would use their position as Secretary of a union as a means to spend member’s money in an inappropriate manner. He also piled praise on the self-proclaimed whistleblower Kathy Jackson for bringing this matter to the public’s attention.
Remember Thomson is facing charges related to approximately $25K of spending.
Now Abbott’s brave and courageous Jackson has seemingly checked herself into a psychiatric ward just in time to escape Federal Court proceedings over approximately $1.4 Million of allegedly inappropriate spending of union member’s funds.
This is the same lowly paid workers that Abbott felt sorry for when allegation were made against Thomson. The same branch of the HSU that the alleged inappropriate spending came from. There are however two major differences, Kathy Jackson is not carrying one vote in a hung parliament, and the allegations against Kathy involve approximately 50 times the amount of funds, although more is yet expected to surface.
Funny Abbott seems less concerned for the poor struggling members now though.
Most of you will also remember how Abbott attacked Prime Minister Julia Gillard for her willingness to await legal outcomes in the spirit of innocent until proven guilty. Abbott accused Gillard of supporting Thomson, and raised questions over her integrity for not sacking Thomson. As far as Abbott was concerned Gillard was supporting the actions of someone accused of theft and his view was that Gillard should also be punished by voters for standing behind Thomson.
Now we have a situation where the Vice President of Fair Work Commission is supporting the person alleged to have misappropriated $1.4 Million of union member’s money and the only man who can have him removed from his position is Tony Abbott.
That position by the way is one of the most expensive public servant positions that the taxpayers fund. It is also the Vice Presidents position for the countries industrial relations watchdog. His involvement with Kathy Jackson brings Fair Work Australia’s integrity into question as the relationship was going on during the investigation into the union that conveniently skipped over Kathy Jackson’s branch while she was secretary.
Marco Bolano and Michael Lawler watch on as Jackson testifies at the Royal Commission – Their faces tell the story
If Tony Abbott was a man of his word he would ensure that the taxpayer no longer paid the wages of someone with this much doubt hanging over them and sack Michael Lawler, a man whom many have described as not just a partner of Kathy Jackson but an accomplice given his alleged involvement in the matter.
Whatever you think of Lawler’s involvement in the HSU affair, the speculation of his involvement in the original investigation, his refusal to co-operate with the KPMG Independent inquiry into the investigation, the computer documents indicating Lawler’s computer had accessed the HSU’s network that can be found on my resource page, the threatening phone calls he allegedly made to Carol Glen after she resigned and so on, there has been no doubt of his support for Jackson. Oh and of course Kathy Jackson employing two of Michael Lawlers children at the union at a higher hourly rate than many members were receiving.
As the taxpayer picks up his salary Lawler has been accompanying Jackson to Federal Court proceedings both in Sydney in 2012, and actually attempting to act as her legal representation via phone in Melbourne this year, something many saw as an insult to the Federal Court itself. He has also accompanied her to the Trade Union Royal Commission to lend his support and allegedly threaten and abuse press members whilst there.
However with allegations of $1.4 Million worth of inappropriate use of members funds by Kathy Jackson I think most would agree that if even one cent of that $1.4 Million was spent on Michael Lawler or spent on something he gained something from then his position as Vice President of the nation’s Industrial Relations watchdog is untenable and he should be removed from his post.
We have seen evidence and heard admissions of vast numbers of cash withdrawals that total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars by Kathy Jackson. We have seen overseas trips and holidays, huge payments for liquor and dining.
Lawler and Jackson living the high life… but who’s picking up the tab?
If Kathy Jackson ever bought Michael Lawler even a can of coke with this money than he may have been in receipt of stolen member funds or goods purchased with them. If she ever paid for a meal, a hotel room, a round of drinks at a bar, paid a cab fare, even brought groceries or paid a power bill for house they shared then the integrity of Fair Work Australia needs to be protected by his removal.
I would find it inconceivable that there could be $1.4 Million of money spent, including hundreds of thousands in cash, by someone and their partner gain absolutely no benefit from it whatsoever.
Even the perception that the Vice President of the watchdog may have gained advantage from the alleged mismanagement of member’s funds of one of the unions his organisation watches over is enough to leave a dark cloud hanging over the Fair Work Commission.
If Tony Abbott does nothing to protect the Fair Work Commission and nothing to hold Michael Lawler to account then he is not only everything he accused Julia Gillard of being in relation to Thomson.
He is 50 times more so.
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Peter, you have pin-pointed the corruption involved in the protection racket surrounding Kathy Jackson. Under the present regime in Australia, we are witnessing he practices that George Orwell so brilliantly satirised in his novel “Animal Farm”: while all people here are supposed to be equal before the law, it is quite clear that some people are more equal than others.
For over five years we have seen the processes of justice being perverted, and there are some very powerful people who have questions to answer. Australian politics, the practice of the law and the mainstream media are all on trial here, and any citizen who is well-informed about the issues involved will be waiting for what both the Royal Commission and the case in Melbourne decide to do about Kathy Jackson, Marco Bolano and Michael Lawler. We also await the result of Craig Thomson’s appeal next month. Let’s hope that justice prevails over what looks very like a very nasty political conspiracy in which the Victorian police and the mainstream media appear to have been both negligent and compliant.
Isn’t there one HUGE conflict of interest here with the old “charity shagger” Jackson being the wife of Lawler?
Abbott will go out of his way to do nothing I bet!!!!!!!!
How convenient for Jackson to run off and hide in a Psychiatric Unit, maybe spending Union Member’s money was too much for her mental state?, what’s her next trick? – she’ll join the Nunnery?
She was instrumental in crucifying Craig Thomson & most likely setting him up but HE stood up and fought as any innocent person would do…only the guilty run & hide!
Strange thing is about this PM Abbott, he has a history of siding with people who do the wrong thing! Remember that paedophile Nestor?
A future RC by Labor must rectify the wrongs if nothing comes of this Wixxy
Professional considerations aside, at the most prosaic level even someone on a 6-figure salary and a partner also pulling in 6-figures couldn’t help but notice an extra million+ in the household budget. And a person whose children were being paid an above-the-odds hourly rate for a job when they never went to the office would have a few questions about the kids’ benefactor/employer and .how the kids got so lucky.
Maybe the (new Federal) ICAC could have a look at this?…..er, no, that’s right, there is nobody actually keeping watch is there?..Keep it up Peter, well done!
Wixxy didn’t you put to the FWC that on papers that you had Lawler had let Kathy have access to their computers? Did you ever get a reply? Someone before the courts for stealing $1.4m & having access to FWC computers, surprising that hasn’t interested the msm
Hi Pete, another top job mate.
Regarding Lawler receiving even an ice cream, firewood or video on crooked Kathys shout, wouldn’t that be l;iving on the proceeds of crime, or would Tony say, that bit of money, came from her real wages.
With all of the addons to Jacksons alleged crime-spree, I reckon shell go well into 3 million, counting all the free loaders and overpayments.
Williamson must be really pissed off that she has made him look a bit slow.
“I am also of the understanding that Michael Lawler cannot be removed from his position unless he either resigns or is stood down by the actions of the Minister. ”
I wouldn’t be so sure about this. Judge can usually only be fired by Parliament, or when they turn 70 or (as you say) resign.
Once appointed, usually not even the minister who appointed them (or his successor) can get rid of him. It’s all part of the separation of powers… on the way OUT, that is. On the way IN, it’s snouts to the trough and all mates together.
It would be a delicious irony if Lawler was proved to have knowingly taken benefit of money from Jackson. This is, of course, the position Gillard was in regarding Wilson’s money allegedly diverted from AWU funds. Except Gillard’s alleged indiscretions happened over 20 years ago, and Lawler’s (if proven) would have been in only the last couple of years. Shouldn’t be too hard to prove it, what with contemporaneous bank records, credit card receipts, and other electronic audit trails. I don’t even think we’d need a Royal Commission!
I was speaking to a senior HSU person the other day and they told me the case against Jackson is going to get a lot bigger, as you say. I’ve had a few dealings with the HSU lately, on behalf of a friend, and their esprit de corps is raging high now that they have rid themselves of Jackson. There is not a lot of love at the HSU for “Our Kathy”.
Again, I think people need to have some confidence that the “good” lawyers, i.e., those who actually believe in the law and are affronted by the behaviour of certain of their colleagues, might be working very quietly and conscientiously to see justice done. I cite these cases:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Farquhar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Einfeld
I hate to quote Rumsfield, or paraphrase him, but we only know what we know. We have to imagine perhaps what we don’t, and I reckon there is probably plenty of that.
You article is factually incorrect so I wonder how much of it is the truth. Abbott appointed Lawler to the Industrial Relations Commission in 2002. This was subsequently disbanded when Gillard formed the FWC and Lawler was subsequently appointed by the Labor government (Gillard) to the FWC. I would have thought this was a basic point of reseach.
Abbott originally appointed him to the industrial judicial system that has changed names several times since
If yoy think that makes the article incorrect so be it
That same fact has also been reported by every major neews publication in the country and acknowledged by Liberal politicians such as Abetz & Brandis
Research? I’m content I’ve done mine