A major storm is brewing for ALP leader Bill Shorten and the ALP with Michael Williamson appealing his jail sentence while at the same time the Trade Union Royal commission is gearing up for hearings of continued fraud at the HSU. Bill Shorten will have a lot of explaining to do and I doubt very much he will have the answers that the public will believe.
Williamson’s appeal will once again put the spotlight on corruption at the Health Services Union (HSU) and at a time when the Royal Commission is doing the same. Individually the appeal and Royal Commission HSU hearings are bad news for Shorten and Labor but together they will be explosive especially in the opinion polls.
If the Royal Commission does the job that it should at the HSU by investigating union corruption then Bill Shorten will be gone in a few months as his fingerprints are all over the stolen money.
Background
Michael Williamson pleaded guilty in October 2013 of stealing almost $1 million from the Health Services Union during his time as Secretary of the NSW Branch. (later to become HSUeast)
“A day after he pleaded guilty to defrauding the Health Services Union, Michael Williamson has been ordered to pay back $5 million. It was part of a Supreme Court settlement that also saw Williamson apologise to union members. But the HSU is unlikely to see its money again. Its former boss has filed for bankruptcy. And he’s been forced to sell his house to cover legal costs.” (Click here to read more)
In March 2014 Williamson was sentenced to 7 1/2 years with a non-parole period of 5 years.
The $5 million apparently only covered the period 2006 to 2011. It is estimated that the real amount that Michael Williamson stole was about $20 million during the period 1997 to 2012 when he was NSW Secretary of the HSU.
Michael Williamson’s appeal to be heard in August 2015
Former ALP President Michael Williamson is appealing his 5 year minimum jail sentence for stealing $20 million from the Health Services Union (HSU) which will cause huge embarrassment for the Labor Party. It has been set down for hearing in August 2015. It will also do damage to Bill Shorten’s leadership of the ALP and possibly cost him the role of alternative Prime Minister.
At the same time, or not long after, Williamson’s appeal is heard in the Supreme Court of NSW the Trade Union Royal Commission will be having public hearings into current fraud and theft at the HSU Victorian Number 1 Branch. This is a big problem for the Bill Shorten because the first question people will be asking is:
Why hasn’t the fraud and theft at the HSU stopped?
The answer is quite simple. It is because the people who are currently stealing from HSU members are Bill Shorten’s closet supporters in the Labor Party. I have written about this a number of times recently with the financial reports to support it. (Click here and here to read the articles) The mainstream media who have dragged their feet on reporting the current HSU scandal will have no choice later in the year when the Royal Commission puts the spotlight on it at the scheduled hearings.
The courts, justice and the Royal Commission are on trial
With Williamson’s appeal the Supreme Court of NSW will be on trial as much as Williamson. People are sick of crooks getting light sentences and if Williamson’s sentence is reduced then there will be a public outcry. A lot of that outcry will be directed at the Labor Party given they turned a blind eye to Williamson’s corruption for many years.
The Trade Union Royal Commission is also on trial and needs to justify the $61 million cost of running the Commission for the 2 years. I think at the end of the day they will be able to justify it but they certainly need to get a move along.
But the Royal Commission’s need to justify its cost means it will be looking for some big scalps and there would be no bigger than Bill Shorten. And Shorten is an easy target with his supporters up to their necks in fraud and theft at the HSU Victoria Number 1 Branch.
Bill Shorten’s corrupt mates at the HSU is just what the doctor ordered for the Liberal Party. It will allow the Liberals to justify the cost of the Trade Union Royal Commission. It will also allow Commissioner Dyson Heydon and his crew at the Royal Commission to justify their fees.
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