The headline grabbing news at the Royal Commission this week was Kathy Jackson’s previous sexual relationship with the HSU barrister Mark Irving who cross-examined her. But the real news was that Kathy Jackson said on Friday that she had written to Prime Minister Tony Abbott asking him to put the Health Services Union back into administration. Based on the evidence of fraud and corruption at the HSU that has been revealed at the Royal Commission so far Abbott has no choice and the evidence of corruption will only get worse from here on in.
I spent 4 days this week at the Royal Commission and filmed the interviews below. There are also some recordings of phone taps that are entertaining to say the least. First up was an interview with Diana Asmar, then an interview with Gerard Hayes and some tapped phone calls he had with Michael Williamson, then an interview with the HSU barrister who is a former lover of Kathy Jackson and finally an interview with Kathy Jackson herself.
The Royal Commission focused on the Health Services Union (HSU) this week and I’ll go through each day briefly.
Monday 25-8-14
The Royal Commission heard allegations of corruption and bullying from numerous staff in relation to the conduct of Diana Asmar who is Secretary of the HSU Victoria #1 Branch and Kimberly Kitching who is the General Manager. The two of them are as dodgy as they come and I have written about them numerous times. (Click here to read more)
Some of the new allegations included Kimberly Kitching in effect buying her job, doing government tests on behalf of others and the standard fraud and theft. (Click here to read more)
Tuesday 26-8-14
Both Asmar and Kitching gave evidence and pulled the I know nothing routine many times, so much so that by the end of their evidence neither had any credibility left. I interviewed Asmar below and wrote the following on the video:
Diana Asmar was elected Secretary in December 2012 and immediately after employed Kimberley Kitching as General Manager even though Kitching had no experience working for a union. Evidence before the Royal Commission says that Kitching’s husband Andrew Landeryou helped fund Diana Asmar’s election campaign on the basis that if she won that she would employ Kimberley Kitching. And allow her to use the job and union resources to campaign for a political position. Kitching does not deny husband Landeryou might have funded Asmar’s campaign. She says she does not know.
Last year only a few months after starting in the $120,000, plus car, HSU job and just before the 2013 Federal Election, Kimberley Kitching ran for pre-selection in the seats of Gellibrand, Lalor and a vacant senate seat. She lost all three as she is despised by Labor Party members for running sleaze and smear campaigns. Just ask former MP Nicola Roxon who was threatened with defamation by Kitching last year.
The fact that Diana Asmar says Kimberley Kitching wrote her own job description seems to support the corruption allegations. How can someone who has never worked in a union write a job description for what a General Manager of a union should do? And why would you employ someone who does not have any industry experience as a GM?
Interview with HSU Victoria #1 Branch Secretary Diana Asmar
(Click anywhere on the above video to watch)
Michael Williamson committed fraud and theft at the HSU over many years and is now in jail. He did this via controlling the HSU in NSW and nationally. In 2011 he stood aside while the police investigated him for corruption. As the phone taps between Williamson and current NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes below show he still controlled the union. The first two taps you hear Hayes colluding with Williamson to get Jackson. The third call you hear Williamson going right off at Hayes when he realises that Hayes has sold him out and there are plenty of swear words.
Phone tap – Michael Williamson and Gerard Hayes 13-1-12 – The collusion to get Jackson – Click on the left hand side to listen.
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Phone tap – Michael Williamson and Gerard Hayes 27-1-12 – Again the collusion to get Jackson
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Phone tap – Michael Williamson and Gerard Hayes 4-4-12 – Williamson going off at Hayes for selling him out
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Interview with NSW HSU Secretary Gerard Hayes – (Click here to watch)
Gerard Hayes came across as being very genuine in his interview. But as pointed out by Kathy Jackson in her interview below, Hayes was more than happy to collude with Williamson to bring her down and support Williamson’s crimes such as hacking emails, as per the phone taps. It was only when he was told by the police that the game was up for Williamson that he did the right thing.
Wednesday 27/8/14
Current acting HSU National Secretary Chris Brown also gave evidence on Wednesday. There were phone taps played where he colluded with Williamson and spoke of employing barrister Mark Irving to act in a corrupt manner and make up dodgy charges to put the hit on Kathy Jackson and have her kicked out of the union. If both Williamson and Brown thought barrister Mark Irving was corrupt then he probably is as they know him well.
Thursday 28/8/14
There was an application by Kathy Jackson’s barrister for the HSU barrister Mark Irving to be barred from cross-examining her because they had previously had a sexual relationship in 1992. The application was refused and Mr Irving proceeded to question Ms Jackson. Irving should have been nowhere near the case and deserves any criticism he gets. I put some questions to Mr Irving later that afternoon as per the below video.
Interview with HSU Barrister Mark Irving
(Click anywhere on the above video to watch)
Friday 29/8/14
Kathy Jackson has a lot of questions to answer in relation to the financials when she was at the HSU which the media have reported on extensively. If she is guilty of wrong doing she should be held to account the same as anyone, but she is also a whistleblower and if she had not come forward massive fraud and theft would still be going on at the HSU by Michael Williamson.
Jackson was questioned in the witness stand at the Royal Commission mostly on Thursday and for a few minutes on Friday morning and below is her response afterwards with the now infamous “charity shag” line. I personally only asked Ms Jackson one question which is at the very end regarding continued corruption at the HSU Victoria #1 Branch and what should be done. She replied that she had written to the Prime Minister suggesting that the HSU should be put back into administration. It is a good interview and worth watching.
Kathy Jackson interview at the Trade Union Royal Commission Friday 29-8-14
(Click anywhere on the above video to watch)
It was a big week at the Royal Commission and I would have posted mid-week if I had already had the video and audio editing experience that I gained over the week. Better off now for the future when there is video and/or audio and I will be back posting more regularly next week.
Julia Gillard to give evidence at the Royal Commission
The Royal Commission has advised Julia Gillard of a hearing date and she is scheduled to give evidence sometime in the week starting the 8th of September regarding the AWU fraud. I understand she will give evidence in Melbourne.
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Categories: Royal Commission
Kathy is a champion whistleblower. Lamestream media who degrade her ignore the horrible things organised unions do and fund. More Kathy …less Shortone
Shane, Having viewed the proceedings (last week) of the Royal Commission, one can’t ignore the evidence that was presented which also included, the phone intercept recording. Ms Jackson has gone through a great deal and at massive personal cost. She has been very brave to come before the Commission and as the Inquiry continues; should extra funding come from the Federal Government to allow it to undertake further investigations? I particularly note (there was total silence from our Media) re the evidence provided by Mr Jackson and his reference to suffering a illness which affected his memory. Kathy’s doorstop provided one with another interesting but clarifying position and her application to the Prime Minister, can’t be ignored. I appreciate the above update.
Bolt is having his gal Kitching on his show again today and for the first time has admitted her position in the HSU rather than referring to her previous Labor party link. Wonder if she will be given a platform to tell us again how she and Asmar are the only honest ones and everyone else is a liar or will Bolt slip free of the magnets grip at last and hold her to account?
No, just joking, that magnet is far too strong for Bolt to slip away, too much damage if he tried.
Bolt is a Gatekeeper and takes orders. He is Mainstream after all.
Don’t shoot the messenger. We need to give Kathy credit and send the right message to all whistleblowers. They need support.
Kathy’s mistake was she said she was not an angel. She should have made a blanket statement upfront, like Blewitt did, that she had rorted the system, was willing to cop the punishment all in the cause of bringing the rotting and stinking fishes heads to justice. It is now obvious even the Judiciary don’t take kindly to whistleblowers.
Maybe the judiciary don’t like whistleblowers because it is getting too close to home.
Kathy Jackson has done the right thing by writing the letter to Tony Abbott to put the HSU into administration. The HSU I believe is the most corrupt union in Australia, along with the AWU. Diana Asmar, Kimberley Kitching and others must be stopped from running the HSU Victorian branch immediately. Hopefully Asmar & Kitching will lose the upcoming HSU elections. Asmar, Kitching & others deserve to go to jail.
What a magnificent performance by KJ. Still punching and scoring points despite the combined divisions of the ALP/Union mafia artillery firing at her. She was the only ‘man’ in a union still run by Williamson’s eunuchs and Shorten’s headkickers. Why Bolt still has Kitching on his show is odd to say the least.
The RC is now heating up with the foundations of union matters shown to be wobbly. Next the Federal Court Judge. This has to be a first to have a Judge summoned to attend a RC. Let us see where this takes us. Mr Stoljar SC is warming up to this encounter.
Several of the posts today are critical of Andrew Bolt allowing that “liar” Kitchen on the programme. In my opinion Bolt should warn us when he is bringing on these hypocrites from the corrupt unions and Labor sewers. Allan from Myalup WA
This is why I never joined a union in 60 years! I saw the corruption as a young man.
Good work Shane- great interview with Kathy- she has come through the attempted “Union gangrape” very well and I hope people listen to what she said!
Many thanks, Shane, for all this information….it certainly has become a quagmire trying to understand who did/said what and when.
It’s pretty easy aussieblue, if a union official says they did nothing wrong or didn’t know about any dodgy practices, they are lying.
At last! a honest, brave woman. Kathy Jackson should stand for public Office.
A great Cover Shane .
Shane, what a great interview with Kathy Jackson!
She did not mince words when discussing Shorten and Conroy. Labor is unelectable with Shorten as leader.
This is one of the finest issues ever of this journal for its maturity and scope, Shane. Congratulations.