Bill Shorten and his supporters are in crisis mode as evidence comes out that Shorten perjured himself back in 2002 at the Cole Royal Commission and that he was also signing off on dodgy and corrupt deals with companies to rip off workers. Add this to the fact that Mr Shorten’s finger prints are all over deals to sign up Ghost Members to the AWU when he was National Secretary.
The Ghost Members are used for increasing the Unions power within the ALP as more members gives them more voting power at ALP conferences and also for preselecting candidates for Parliament etc. Bill Shorten was National Secretary of the AWU from 2001 to 2007 and Victorian Secretary of the AWU from 1998 to 2007.
Shorten’s position is untenable now but with the Royal Commission heating up over the last few days no one in the Labor Party would want to take his place any time soon.
There have been other major revelations which point to the Royal Commission moving up several gears between now and the scheduled report in December but let’s look at Shorten’s crisis first.
The connection showing Bill Shorten perjuring himself at the Cole Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry was made by Blogger Michael Smith. Dino Strano gave evidence at the Royal Commission on Thursday and nailed Bill Shorten.
In Smith’s article on Thursday (4/6/15) he starts off
Bill Shorten’s sworn testimony to the Cole Royal Commission should be revisited
- Winslow Constructions has been paying bulk union memberships to the AWU since the 1990s
- The MD Dino Strano names Bill Shorten as a person he was dealing with
- Bill Shorten gave evidence to the Cole Royal Commission in 2002 stating he was not aware of bulk union memberships being paid by companies
- (Click here to read the full article)
Unions are struggling to get members so they do dodgy deals with the company instead. The company pays for all employees to become union members quite often without the employee’s knowledge and then the union allows the company to pay lower wages. I wrote about the company Cleanevent last week which is a prime example. (Click here to read the article)
At the Cole Royal Commission Bill Shorten was questioned by Counsel Assisting Mr Richard Tracey QC:
Mr Tracey: What about the notion of the union fees of workers being paid by their employers. Is that a matter on which you have a view?
Bill Shorten: The issue is if an employer pays money for workers who don’t know they are in the union, or haven’t asked to be in that union, well, I think that’s a pretty bold employer who does that. If that employer does it, and we would never advise an employer to simply pay money, for instance, to the CFMEU in the context of – in lieu of union membership, we don’t think employers should do that.
Mr Tracey: Let’s bring it to your union. Has your union, during your time as secretary or as a full-time official, ever taken money from an employer without, at the same time, receiving application forms for membership?
Bill Shorten: Not to my knowledge.
(Click here to read the full transcript of Bill Shorten’s evidence at the Cole Royal Commission)
It is clearly a lie by Bill Shorten. He knew Winslow Constructions Managing Director Dina Strano had been paying for his workers for years. There is also evidence other companies and organisations paid for their workers without their knowledge while Bill Shorten was National Secretary of the AWU.
The Herald Sun reported on Wednesday (3/6/15):
BILL Shorten has been named in a royal commission as having a relationship with a builder who paid union membership fees on his workers’ behalf for more than 20 years.
Dino Strano, founder of building firm Winslow, told the Royal Commission into Union Governance and Corruption that he had an association with the Australian Workers Union since the early 1990s.
He said he had paid AWU memberships for his workers to give his company a “degree of stability” and avoid working with the militant CFMEU.
Of his relationships with AWU leaders he said: “There’s been a variety of people from, you know, Bill Shorten, Peter Smoljko, Cesar, and various organisers over the years, yes.” (Click here to read more)
And the SMH reported on Friday
“Witnesses have told the commission of phoney AWU membership drives, including one occasion in 2005 when an entire netball players association was signed up without their knowledge.” (Bill Shorten must respond over claims heard at union royal commission: Pyne)
And Grace Collier from The Australian wrote:
The royal commission into trade unions is examining the extension of an enterprise agreement between Cleanevent and the Australian Workers Union in 2010. The commission has heard money changed hands between the parties to secure the extension of the deal, and workers were ripped off to the tune of millions.
What is yet to be highlighted is that the agreement was originally made between the parties in 2004. The current Opposition Leader signed that document.
Clause 8.2 of the 2004 deal allows the employer to offer full-time cleaners low yearly salaries (starting at $33,854) that exclude payment for all shift, weekend and public holiday penalties and loading, include up to seven hours of unpaid overtime a week, and up to 12-hour shifts. (Click here to read more)
The Royal Commission is going to give Bill Shorten a lot of other grief as well as they continue their investigation into the fraud and theft a the HSU Victoria Number 1 Branch who are rumoured to be broke and close to bankruptcy. It is Shorten’s supporters who are running the branch so it will reflect on him and the Royal Commission are due to have further hearing into secretary Diana Asmar and her management of the branch in the next few months.
Other evidence this week shows Victorian MP Cesar Melhem has had his reputation trashed by his own evidence, a witness let slip that the Federal Police had been talking to him which means they must be investigating at least one union. And the CEO of industry super fund Cbus, David Atkin, knows he is going to be nailed for perjury and corruption next week and must be sweating like there is no tomorrow. Next week we will also see the return of “Lisa Zanatta – Perjury Queen of the Trade Union Royal Commission”. There has to be a good chance that someone at Cbus has rolled.
Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission, Jeremy Stoljar, also tendered evidence on Friday of message bank calls of Bernie Riordan who is a Fair Work Commissioner and former secretary of the NSW Electrical Trades Union. That likely means the Royal Commission has been using phone taps and if that is the case the Royal Commission could turn into absolute dynamite.
Over the last few days the Royal Commission is really starting to look on target and set to justify the budgeted $61 million cost by the end of December.
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Categories: Bill Shorten, Royal Commission
Bill Shorten doesn’t have skeletons in his closet Shane. Shorten now has a house full of skeletons and not just the closet!!. Shorten is a complete lowlife professionally & personally. What has been revealed over the last few weeks is that Shorten and his AWU fraudsters have thieved, lied, blackmailed & extorted businesses & the workers over many years. People like Cesar Melhem & others must be charged for bloody thievery. Speaking of Cesar Melhem, will the Victorian “CMFEU” premier Mr Andrews sack Mr Melhem?. After all the CMFEU don’t like the AWU and may force Mr Andrews to sack Mr Melhem.
As Billy Shorton lies hopefully more will come out and that thug ends in jail. What makes me laugh is all these politicians that have been fingered for corruption, and, not one in jail. One question I have asked lots of people for years about these twits is, Who gave the word for these crooks to have the title of “The honorable–“? We have had the greatest collection of liars, no hopers and crooks in the past 45 years
Well isn’t this just Dandy … Bill Shorten should now be politically “Mortally Wounded” and the ALP might be in need of a New Leader sooner rather than later, the ramifications to this might be more than just interesting.
With what seems to now be a buffoon as the LNP Leader, that should have never have become Leader and the only reason he subsequently became Prime Minister was (as usual) the other side LOST the election.. !!
We could well see the ALP dumping Bill Shorten instead and being forced to do what the LNP should have done months ago, perhaps Royal Commissions aren’t useless after all and can have some good come out of them (at least Politically).
I have always said that both sides of the house are either Corrupt or just Plain Incompetent, the 64 Thousand Dollar Question is who will replace Bill Shorten and will they also either have skeletons in the closet or not be made of the right stuff, to do any good for the Nation..!!
I disagree with your comment, about Tony Abbott.
This blog is about Shorten, and serious corruption, possible involving a wannabe PM. It is not about Tony Abbott.
give the abbott bashing a rest! This is about Shorten’s alleged corruption
Perjured himself? Surely not. He was just taken out of context. As he is almost daily since becoming leader of the ALP.
This is all good Shane but in recent years it seems Labor and the union movement, corrupt to the core can get away with almost anything, Gillard and the slush fund a case in point. Things seem to happen behind the scenes that we the public never see and these crooks apart from Craig Thomson (who should have been jailed years ago and the Labor government brought down) there have been very few.Shorten apart from being nasty, is a crook, let’s hope justice is finally done and he is brought down
Wouldn’t that be lovely – Howard fought very hard re the Warfies Union – hard work, but won and Australia prospered. Now we have further corruption – it appears to be inherent with Labor – is there ANYONE in the labor party that is not a CROOK?
Sure there were some bad mistakes and there are certainly some dodgy unions but most unions do a good job of looking after workers, Julia Gillard achieved a huge amount in office and displayed remarkable negotiation skills unlike phoney Abbott who could not negotiate his way through a difficult senate or even a paper bag. Julia Gillard had to deal with a hung parliament and still went full term and dealt with a huge amount of business. What an amazing achievement.
Unions and the Labor Party stink.
However, after the finding that Gillard had done nothing criminal, even though she was sacked by S&G, and never practiced as a lawyer again: I don’t hold out much hope of anyone (important at least) being brought to justice.
If Shorten loses his leadership of the Labor Party because his corrupt past has been exposed then that it being brought to justice. Gillard might not be in jail but she has had her reputation severely damaged for millions of Australians by the revelations of the AWU fraud and it probably helped her lose the Prime Ministership so that that is being brought to justice.
Shane, As regards Julia Gillard’s reputation, this news article coming from the TV industry published last week seems to reinforce the theory of damaged goods:
“TV networks have all rejected a telemovie project with Rachel Griffiths cast as Julia Gillard, which will now be envisioned as a feature film.
“No Australian broadcaster wants to tell the story of Australia’s first female Prime Minister,” said producer Richard Keddie, who has previously produced the Hawke and Curtin telemovies.
“All the broadcasters said ‘No way’ to the Julia film. I got told unequivocally I couldn’t even get Hawke or Curtin made these days.
“One broadcaster told me ‘Everyone hates Julia Gillard, nobody is remotely interested in her.’……..”
http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/06/networks-say-no-to-julia-gillard-telemovie.html
Not too damaged that she still couldn’t pocket her reward for services rendered from her Globalist handlers through their Brookings “Institute”.
Good point Shane, however. the commission said she had done nothing criminal. Also. she is picking up a fabulous pension, along with numerous perks.
I don’t think that is justice.
Bemused, Julia Gillard has been badly damaged in this country. As Shane has pointed out, millions of Australians do know now what she did in the AWU fraud, and know she’s guilty. Her prime ministership was littered with corruption, incompetence, deceit etc, and millions of Australians know it. Yes she has some cushy jobs and her pension but these organizations that hire her are corrupt themselves or are completely ignorant of her past & her political career. To many, many Australians, Julia Gillard is a criminal, and you don’t have to go to jail or even charged for it. In any case, Gillard is still under investigation by the Victorian police and will get either charged or more likely be supoenaed as a witness in the trials of Bruce Wilson & Ralph Blewitt.
I hope the most hated woman in Australia gets caught out and goes to gaol. And we can further hope Shorten is caught out – and follows her thru the doors.
So true. Why is it these lying, fraudulent, thieving, corrupt, dishonest, greedy, backstabbing, individuals are dealt with behind closed doors and get off with a slap on the wrist? The reason is simple, our Government allows it. The legal system in this country and more importantly the legal practitioners are just as corrupt as those they are defending. The Government prevent the public from knowing the facts and manipulate the media to prevent the truth from being known. God help them if all the public new about this site and the individuals being investigated. I think “Kangaroo Court” should be a television production, much like the info channels on the idiot box. Let the public know what is happening out there and who has been caught out.
A very interesting summary of what is happening – and has been happening for years within the protected species called Trade Unions. The question needs to be asked too why do the Unions have a tax exemption when they are clearly running business’s (legally or otherwise!)? The vast majority of Australians including the people who actually do the real work have to pay their taxes but the Unions claim a special exemption – perhaps they see themselves more as a charity organization? That would explain why so many union officials feel so entitled to their perks and backhanders – none of which are ever declared. Of course when someone is caught ripping off the system a bit of plea bargaining will have $12 MILLION dollars reduced to a mere $1Mil and a greatly reduced sentence. Good work if you can get it!
I can only hope that Shonky Shorten gets what’s coming his way. The Labor party is a pit of dishonest vipers. With Gillard and Rudd trying to out stab each other and Shorten on the rack what joy.
I am not confident that Shorten will be severely damaged. There is massive collusion between most journalists and media organisations to suppress anything damaging to Labor/Unions/Greens. The Royal Commission into union corruption has been ignored to date [Even by Sky News]. Why would that suddenly change. The fact that Bill Shorten could potentially be damaged makes it even less likely to attract media interest. The conviction and gaoling of Michael Williamson didn’t even last one 24 hour news cycle. The ABC did not even mention he was a former Labor President. Watch for a minor misspeak from Abbott or a Coalition minister which turns into a massive media frenzy to act as a distraction.
The links in my post are to other media who are running the story so there are Mainstream media reporting it, maybe not as many as should though. Also way too many people underestimate the impact of Social Media. People who use Twitter and Facebook etc are having a big impact when added together and the politicians know it.
As expected there has been sporadic and limited coverage of Shorten. The distractions duly arrived with Hockey’s innocuous comment on house prices and the supposed payment of people smugglers. Both second order issues. Political damage occurs when every news source jumps on board and runs the news item over many days and weeks, all from the same perspective. Besides news services, almost all commentators have provided cover for Shorten and other than at the Australian I have seen no analysis of the Shorten matter. Bloggers such as you Shane do a great job, but the left’s march across the institutions is well advanced including our media. Even News Corp is incrementally moving left. Corruption and incompetence on the left is being covered up more and more as you well know. It is important that we all keep fighting, but it is going to get ever more difficult unless more from the centre-right community step up.
I totally agree with Steve Turner…..I have noticed the slow turn away to the left in the Herald/Sun. Many letters to the editor pages are being run supporting the shonky Labor view. The Australian newspaper is staying true to the cause and is balanced in their approach with good journalist’s commentating.
I sent a letter to the Herald/Sun last week about my views on the boat people payment news, supporting the PM and the Coalition policy and it never got a run. However the Greens and Labor views are getting a good airing. Maybe someone should drop a line to the Murdochs and see if they concur with these leftist articles hitting their papers in ever-increasing volume?
Please keep comments on topic of the post
Very true, Social Media is a super powerful tool indeed and it’s here to stay.
You only have to see the massive success of millions of citizens signing thousands of varied petitions here in Australia and in other countries through out the world demanding many forms of true justice and change for good.
And they are getting it with unstoppable (people power numbers) and their never ending persistence for the good of all mankind.
Such powerful public activity is scaring the hell out of the evil corrupt, inhumane and the insane greedy who now don’t dare thumb their noses up at them any more.
As a consequence they are then left with no choice but to comply to the ordinary people’s demands.
The old saying goes “there is safety in numbers and danger to the no-gooders”.
Public petitions are the way to go for larger public support and awareness to educate the masses to step up and do something for themselves to be the change for good in their own country and in others.
Agree with you Steve, the msm are very clever at taking attention away from Shorten’s awfulness. And the carnage Labor left!
Everyone should circulate Kangaroo Court so as many people possible are aware of the corruption.
If Shorten lied at the 2002 Cole Royal Commission and it can be proven (as you have more than demonstrated it can be done so), then he should be jailed, irrespective of whatever title or position he now holds. Otherwise, what good is holding a Royal Commission if the evidence is not dealt with in a lawful manner? I get the impression that all the funds spent on conducting these Royal Commissions and writing up the recommendations is just gravy for the politically corrupt who are politically protected!
Also, since it is so well known that there are members signed up to unions who have no knowledge about their membership status, who the heck is going to investigate this thoroughly? The AFP? Each and every union member on the books of both the AWU and the CFMEU should be contacted direct to determine their legitimacy as members. These two unions seem to be the most mentioned at the Royal Commissions, both now and in 2002, so they should be the starting point for membership interrogations. Perhaps only the AFP are capable of determining compliance.
If I discovered I had been signed up to a union membership without any say so, without my knowledge, I would be mighty pissed off at the infringement of my personal right to freedom of association/choice/whatever you call it!!!!
While this ALP compliance is being investigated, maybe they should be looking at the Liberals as well to discover the truths about their fundraising efforts too. At least, it could be genuinely called, without fear or favour then . . . .
Arthur Sinodinos is called as a witness to the ICAC enquiry, Labor go ballistic and demand Abbott sack him. A State Labor Senator and the Federal Labor Leader are shown to have acted corruptly at the TURC. Labor’s response? Nothing to see here folks, move along.
Shorten has now been called to testify under oath at the Royal Commission. Will the MSM, the Greens and all those Labor luminaries that called for Sinodinos to go now stand up and demand the same for Shorten? Tumbleweeds blow across the page as crickets chirp softly in the background.
Membership rorts have been going on for years. My brother ran a small plumbing business in the early 90s and had to buy union membership for each of his six employees who refused to buy it themselves. “No ticket no start” was the Union catchcry and that’s exactly what would happen if the money wasn’t handed over.
Bill Shorten will not live long enough to serve the sentence he deserves,if he ever gets convicted. When you consider all the thugs that are in there running or ruining the country it is a wonder the other nations have anything to do with us. The first question you are asked when you apply to emigrate to Australia is “have you got a criminal record”?? your answer is “do you still have to have one”?? their response is “only if you want to join the union or the Labor party”. Not so much of a joke as it would seem. Do not expect the ABC to add fuel to any allegations placed on Shorten he is their left wing loony and along with Hanson Young who has more ABC TV time than Virginia Trivoli. Allan from Myalup WA.
A builder mate of mine who is now 72yo employed many tradesman on BLF and later CFMEU sites and has told me he has been threatened so many times over years he has lost count….he was picked up by union enforcers and suspended from the upper floors of uncompleted buildings he was working on and they threatened to drop him if his team didn’t join the union…and he never did!
As for Shorten it just amazes me how he gets away with the obvious fraud and corruption that’s been going on for years…as for Gillard, she should be in jail now. The MSM are gutless and as for the unbelievable bias at the ABC and the Age etc it’s simply a joke in this country. I think Shane is right….keep promoting the social media and send these KCA posts to everyone you know…..the general public are so gullible and have such short memories. As for poor old Abbott, I admire him for not blowing his top with the media…..he can’t even blow his nose without something being wrong….it’s just unbelievable.
So, just tell me again why the msm is not doing its job ????
PS- “follow the money”……
The 2004 agreement that Bill Shorten signed on behalf of the AWU was properly approved and registered by the Fair Work Commission. In view of this, how does the 2004 agreement per se reflect badly on Bill Shorten? If that agreement was somehow shonky, then would the responsibility not lie with the Commission?
It’s the side deal that covered compulsory union membership paid by the Winslow for its workers without the workers’ permission and that deal also provided personal details of the workers to the AWU which is a breach of the privacy laws. Those personal details were entered on AWU records. The union membership deal was done in return for the AWU preventing the workers taking industrial action against Winslow (even though they may have had a legitimate claim), the AWU being a party to the Workplace Agreement.
Bill Shorten will be giving evidence at the Royal Commission in August or September. The Royal Commission will certainly be ready for Shorten on a whole range of things I suspect.
Do you realise that it is now all three recent Labor federal leaders have been called before Royal Commissions in less than two years? And Billy reckons it’s all just a smear campaign, nothing to see here folks, he’s proud of his record. I just hope it is still the young lady SC that questions him when the time comes. Love to see him get angry or look at his watch so Gillard can call out his misogyny.
I do know that there is the last 3 labor leaders in this country have had to face a royal commission. But out of the last 3 labor leaders who have to face the royal commission, Gillard & Shorten are criminals who deserve to be be exposed by this current royal commission. They are both serious criminals who got caught out by their corruptiveness. As for Rudd, he is an idiot for his arrogance over his home insulation scheme.
So, Shorten the Shonk is going to testify at the Royal Commission. Surely they don’t expect him to tell the truth. If he does he will be the first labor polly in recent history to do so.
Shorten couldn’t tell the truth if his mother-in-law’s life depended on it….and you know who she is/was! He would sell her down the river for 5 cents. July 8th at the TURC will be very interesting to see how many porkies he tells and how many others he blames for all the fraudulent and criminal acts he has been involved in “when supporting his members at the AWU”….it seems a good percentage didn’t know they were in the union by what we have heard to date. I hope this man goes down for good and is left to walk alone in the dark downstairs forever.