Emails and other material shows that Chris Winslow, The Greens candidate for the 2016 election for the federal seat of Greenway, conspired for financial gain with the Labor Party’s Marcus Priest in an attempt to bring down Dyson Heydon.
It is extremely obvious that politics is at work at the highest levels to bring down Dyson Heydon and that Bill Shorten and The Greens leader Richard Di Natale have plenty of questions to answer.
I had dealings with Marcus Priest during the period of 2007-2009 as he is a former political advisor for the former federal Labor Party attorney-general Robert McClelland. I spoke to Priest a couple of times during that period and he is a real crook. His email address at the time marcus.priest@ag.gov.au shows up quite a few times in my book on judicial corruption. (Click here to read more)
Background
There was a media report on the 13th August that Dyson Heydon would be giving a speech at a Liberal Party fundraiser. This was quickly found to be incorrect as Dyson Heydon had cancelled the speech and it was hardly a fundraiser anyhow. (Click here to read more) The Labor Party and the Unions jumped up and down and said this showed real bias and perceived bias.
The ACTU requested documents from Dyson Heydon regarding the cancelled speech. Heydon gave them the documents. Then a couple of days later the ACTU, representing some Unions, and 2 other Unions representing themselves filed an application for Dyson Heydon to recuse himself (stand down) from the position of Royal Commissioner. (Click here to read more)
The recusal application was heard on Friday the 21st of August 2015. Commissioner Heydon reserved his judgment. On Wednesday the 26th of August it was announced that Commissioner Heydon would hand down his judgment on Friday the 28th at 10am.
Then in Thursday’s edition of The Australian (27th August) it was reported how the whole perceived bias saga started. The Labor Party and the Unions said the new information suggested that there were possibly hidden documents that Heydon had not given them and they requested further documents. They also requested that the scheduled time for judgment be vacated so they could make further submissions. Further submissions were filed on Friday and the date for judgment is now 2pm Monday the 31st of August. (Click here to read more)
The new media report in The Australian
The media report on Thursday said:
“At 5.30pm on August 12, a staff member at the NSW Bar Association took a call from Marcus Priest, lawyer, journalist and a former senior adviser to opposition legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus.”
“Chris Winslow, the association’s publications manager, had dealt with Priest when he was at The Australian Financial Review and also as a staffer to Dreyfus and former attorney-general Robert McClelland.”
“Priest asked Winslow about a bar association alert, put out in April, about the Sir Garfield Barwick lecture — the one that had Dyson Heydon, who was conducting the politically sensitive royal commission into trade unions, as its keynote speaker.”
“Priest expressed surprise that Heydon had agreed to speak at the event because of its connection to the Liberal Party and asked for a copy of the invitation.”
“Winslow sent an email to Priest, with the invitation attached, at 5.50pm.”
“However, as he headed home that evening, Winslow thought about the conversation and alarm bells rang. Was a story was about to appear in the media? Perhaps the lecture, which was due to have been given last night at the Castlereagh Hotel in Sydney, would be affected?”
“As an officer of the bar association, Winslow felt he had an obligation to inform the commission about a possible ambush. He emailed Jeremy Stoljar SC, the counsel assisting the royal commission, just after 7pm: “Re the Barwick lecture: Does Dyson know this is connected to the Liberal Party?””
“He received a reply almost immediately: “I’ll raise that with him.”” (Click here to read more)
And: “Winslow confirmed the sequence of events but declined to further comment. Priest also declined to comment.”
The report mentions that Chris Winslow is a Greens candidate at the end but it should be at the beginning as it puts the whole story in perspective.
The reality is that the new media report does not add much except to expose The Greens and the Labor Party’s dirty tricks but they are too stupid to realise it. It sounds like a bunch of lies by Winslow and was probably written by someone in The Greens party then given to The Australian.
Chris Winslow – Candidate for The Greens – Will he get a big fat union donation for his good work?
The Greens have been on song with the Labor Party and Unions calling the Trade Union Royal Commission a witch hunt and saying it should be closed down. Why?
Over the last few years The Greens have received massive donations from the Unions and take instructions from the Unions in relation to their policy and public statements regarding the Royal Commission. Chris Winslow would be well aware of this.
One example is Federal MP Adam Bandt who has been a regular recipient of Union donations.
“At the 2010 election the Victorian ETU donated $125,000 to Mr Bandt and $200,000 to Greens Senator Richard Di Natale’s campaign.” And at the 2013 election the ETU donated $300,000 to Mr Bandt. (Click here to read more)
And then there is the lazy $1,000,000 The Greens received from the National Tertiary Education Union before the 2013 federal election. (Click here to read more)
The Greens aren’t choosy and also received a $50,000 donation from the CFMEU for the 2013 election. (Click here to read more)
They’re just some examples of Union donations to The Greens. The point is when the Unions say “jump” The Greens say “How high” and without a doubt Mr Winslow has said “how high” the last few weeks.
Chris Winslow’s refusal to answer any further questions to The Australian shows says plenty.
How does Chris Winslow benefit financially?
Chris Winslow
Chris Winslow is a candidate for The Greens in the seat of Greenway at the next federal election and stands to benefit financially if he is elected. His chances of being elected would increase if the Royal Commission fails. If he is involved in helping bring down the Royal Commission he might also be rewarded by the Unions with large donations. Some questions that Mr Winslow should answer are:
- Other than Marcus Priest, who did he speak to before he sent the email to Jeremy Stoljar? Did he take advice or instructions from anyone in The Greens Party?
- Why didn’t he just phone Jeremy Stoljar? Was the purpose of the email to have a paper trail to possibly be used later?
- Has he been offered any donations from any Unions? If so when and by who. Does he intend approaching any Unions in the future for donations?
- Was he offered anything by Marcus Priest.
Marcus Priest
Marcus Priest needs to explain why he rang Chris Winslow and whether he was working for someone when he did as it was no accident. One thing’s for sure and that is either Marcus Priest or Chris Winslow leaked the story to the SMH on the 12th or 13th of August with the sole intention of undermining the Royal Commission.
Marcus Priest
Marcus Priest would be a hero in the Labor Party at the moment and he will be paid back at a later date with a cushy job somewhere as he has already had a couple. This would have been a huge motivating factor for Priest as he would have been thinking “I help destroy Heydon and I’ll get paid for it later”. Shows what a classy person Priest is.
As soon as the story broke on the 13th of August Mr Priest retweeted the below message on Twitter which gives a good indication what he was planning when he spoke to Chris Winslow.
Further Tweets and other aspects have been covered on Michael Smith’s site. (Click here and here to read more).
Bill Shorten, the Labor Party, Richard Di Natale and The Greens
Bill Shorten and Richard Di Natale have a lot of questions to answer regarding what they knew and when? What communication did they or other party members had with Marcus Priest and Chris Winslow? Did they or anyone in their partys help leak the stories to the media?
For me it is impossible to believe that Bill Shorten or Richard Di Natale only became aware of Chris Winslow’s and Marcus Priest’s involvement on Thursday (25/8/15). Are we to believe that Chris Winslow and Marcus Priest never said anything to anyone in their own parties about their conversation since the 12th of August? Then how did the SMH and The Australian get their stories and who from?
What has happened since the 12th has been carefully choreographed by the Labor Party and The Greens in an attempt to cause maximum damage to the Royal Commission.
It is interesting that there is clear perceived bias by both the people who lit the fuse on Heydon for perceived bias but both of them have done their best to conceale their own personal interest and also their financial interest.
The perceived bias application is frivolous and vexatious. For the Unions and Labor Party to waste time asking Dyson Heydon to quite for a speech he never gave is a disgrace. But they are desperate to conceal their corruption.
If every media story ran with the fact that Chris Winslow is a Greens candidate and that Marcus Priest is nothing more than a Labor Party troll then the story would quickly die. For some reason most of the media are deliberately concealing it which will ultimately just embarrass themselves.
Dyson Heydon should unload on the crooks like there is no tomorrow in his judgment on Monday which is what I expect him to do. Then he should subpoena Chris Winslow and Marcus Priest and put them in the witness stand and see what they have to say then.
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Categories: Bill Shorten, Royal Commission, Senator Richard Di Natale
Here we go again with the fraudsters seeking to feather their own nests at the expense of a career legal man of basic good repute in Mr Heydon. Shorten and his cronies will be all very much aware of these disgusting tactics. I hope Dyson calls in the offending parties and tips a bucket on their lying, fraudulent and despicable schemes…..all to protect the rear end of the Bolshevic Trade Unions and their senior henchmen. I hope they all rot in hell with Old Nick downstairs, which I know they will….believe me!
Time to clean this once reasonable country up before we sink into the abyss with the Red and Green slime….better call up the Ghostbusters team and see if Bill Murray and the boys can perform their miracles!
Yes this terrible state we are in at present is akin to Armageddon for every man woman and child not connected to criminal activity and brutal stand over tactics. Political correctness and mind control is taking a large level of control over Australia. We to some extent are our own worst enemy. We are more interested in football, cricket , gambling, and finding a way to have another holiday, than saving this once beautiful country.
I am old and near the end, but my children and their children are the ones who will be controlled by the filth that wants to run this country.
Our PM Mr Abbott is not using a big enough stick on these swines. I personally feel the army needs to be let loose .
Graham Richardson stated on Paul Murray Live (on a Monday night, not sure which one but prior to August 12/13) that he was going to write a column on something of huge importance about the Royal Commission or Dyson Heydon. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but I wondered at the time what the Labor Party/unions had up it’s sleeve. Did anyone else see that particular program?
Yes, LizW, I happened to watch Richo getting excited over his little secret story…something which was going to blow stuff out of the water/ was red hot / explosive in his terms relating to TURC. Richo claims he’s an outsider of the ALP camp, but clearly he still has contacts or else he wouldn’t be on Sky News. I’d like to take a blowtorch to his dark, murky relationship with Rene Rivkin and Offset Alpine printing company. What a grub he is.
Richo knows to many people in high places and where they have hidden their skeletons in their cupboards. He knows he is an untouchable grandee,or what is more commonly known as a “Koala” i.e. a protected species.
I would rather go bushwalking with Ivan Milat than trust Richo !!!
If I was Heydon on Monday I would be telling the unions and the labor/green slime where to go and then read out the list of people to be charged with offences against the Royal Commissions act. The whole thing is not even to get Heydon, it is to delay proceedings enough that Shorten won’t be back in the box before the Canning by election. If Labor manage to keep him out of the chair, win Canning and put pressure on Abbott to go or be rolled, then after that Shorten will be cut loose quicke.
Australia is at the crossroads to Armageddon. If these evil vile unions,ALP,GREENS, take over completely as it looks, we will need the Australian Army to stage war within Australia.
This country is in imminent danger, from its own laid back stupidity.
We the people of Australia are so complacent and so layed back we don’t want to see the truth, but boy do we complain when it’s too late, we are the first to blame the government and blame everybody except the people who put the lying cheating and criminally inclined labor/greens/unions in power.
And you are now seeing these criminally inclined politicians / unionist trying to stop the truth being aired by an honest and upright Australian ONLY to benefit them the criminally inclined politicians / unions who will again ruin this great country.
It’s about time we took control and stood up for us, the true Australians, on the side of the Austrlian way of life. Tomorrow will be too late.
I’m pretty sure I saw in one of the union declarations that they also gave 400,000 to the Katter party. No wonder the mouth in the hat abstains or votes with Labor whenever there is any vote that could expose Labor. Look at how he voted during the Rudd Gillard years to protect their governments over Thomson, Slipper, country shoppers etc.
The obvious conspiracy between the Greens Unions and Labor party is only one part of the equation. I reiterate my earlier statement on this forum. Abbott and his government should have stopped this all this by using the anarchy part of the constitution RC act of 1902 article 60. Abbott is too weak ,he should have all these grubs from the unions Greens and Labor members prosecuted under the act,he deserves to lose the election with his lame attitude towards this (Shorten like stabbing) of one of the few true blue members of the law system. With the the danger of Dyson Hayden resigning from his position which will be foolhardy, they have now started on Jeremy Stoljar as a reserve action. They are all in their pathetic ignorance trying to get Abbott to close the Royal Commission unaware of the fact that he cannot he has not the power to close the commission under the constitution. Top marks for Bull Shorten, he timed this little fracas just right to coincide with the Canning by election giving an already fragile negative effect on the Coalition majority. They are all arguing about changing the constitution in favour of our indigenous citizens, what is the point of having a constitution if it is not followed, by the elected government. All the members of this conspiracy are in contempt of the Royal commission; subject to a jail term and or heavy fines. Put them where they belong and rid the lucky country of this sewage. Allan Usherwood from Myalup WA.
Allan, I believe that the Prime Minister cannot act in that way, to punish these grubs.
He has given The Commissioner his own Police-force, I believe the punishment has to come from the Commissioner.
The voting public, of which I am one find it difficult to comprehend just how allegedly corrupt those who practice politics for a living are!
Mr Priest and Mr Winslow appear to be trying to woo funds for apparent misdeeds.
They allegedly appear to me as most persons courting favour.
This is exactly what happened, what a shocking way to degrade a man of the highest standard.
I just hope, that this post will be published in all the news-outlets, not that this will happen, as they (the ABC, Fairfax ad the lame MSM) will have been in total agreement with the Unions and Bill Shorten.
I also honestly believe that our country is in grave danger and I can only hope that this saga, as Shane has put it will become very public a.s.a.p.
We would be in the hands of these creatures, who have their hand out all the time, but they have no thought for the welfare of our existence in this wonderful country.
Beautifully selected words, and sadly so true. Many will say I am crazy to suggest we are on the obis of Armageddon. I truly feel this to be an appropriate word to use when we see what this beautiful country originally came from to its now slime and bottom feeding supporting way of life. Trust me, watching footy or cricket is not a way of standing up for this country. In most cases it is grab another tinny and go back to the footy on TV. NOT interested in politics, TRUST ME YOU SOON WILL BE if these slime bags from the unions, LAB, Greens slither under the fence and take up seat in parliament.. This is a hard statement, but it is just so sadly true.
Can we now go to the next step?
Summons both Mr Priest and Mr Winslow to the royal commission and further request details of their emails under oath.
I doubt such grubs understand the concept of an oath. I’ve been watching TURC and have been amazed to see people take an oath, lie, get found out lying and just look annoyed. Not ashamed.
The Aus story says: “Re the Barwick lecture: Does Dyson know this is connected to the Liberal Party?””
The actual email says: Jeremy Is Dyson Heydon aware that the G B Address, which he is due to deliver, ia a liberal Party fundraiser? Chris
Why “fundraiser”? I think there is little doubt he was leaving a mischievous paper trail.
When you read Slater & Gordon’s letter of 17 August to the Commission, it mentions that the Sir Garfield Barwick Dinner was “described as a Liberal Party fundraiser”. There was no evidentiary documentation at that time in the public arena describing it as a Liberal Party fundraiser. The email from Winslow as the Publications Manager of the NSW Bar Association to Jeremy Stoljar on 12 August was the first time that the Dinner had been described “as a Liberal Party fundraiser”. I would say that prior to 17 August, the ACTU and Slater & Gordon had a copy of Winslow’s email to Stoljar and thus they used the term “described as a Liberal Party fundraiser”.
It has been a stitch up as the evidence before TURC was revealing more and more corruption by the Union and a certain union official now leader of the Labor Party. The Unions and its “organically connected” Labor Party needed it shut down and not continue under a different Commissioner. Dave Oliver has been shouting this every day to any MSM outlet in hearing range; the unions won’t settle for anything less.
Dyson Haydon should not be averted in his endeavours to disclose in his judgment the problems/corruption in the union movement in Australia. Pm Abbott will need to voice his support once the findings are public instead of being a lame duck..
I believe that the RC is about to drop a bomb amongst all this BS that has been ladled out for the last 2 weeks or so by the union mafia . Just watch how he turns the table on all this low life that purports to stand for the working man .
The RC must create a total cleanout of this shower of rorters and thieves who are scavenging off the workers and citizens of Australia .
The trouble with PM Abbot is that he is just too honest to be a really effective politician .
This Commission must continue and any criminal element of the Unions must be removed. How can any Judge or Commissioner be regarded as totally unbiased? They all vote and their vote would show their bias. Tell them to get stuffed Commissioner Haydon and complete your job.
Heydon stays, unions legal team don’t even bother showing up. Surely some charges under the RC act must follow for all the sleaze bags that tried to smear this man. Will Wong make good on her threat to write to the GG now? Come on, give it a go Ms Wong, love to see you foul your own nest and be shot down in flames.
Dyson Heydon handed down his judgment today regarding the application to recuse himself. He will be staying. Below is a summary of his judgment or you can read the full judgment here: https://kangaroocourtofaustralia.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/reasons-for-ruling-on-disqualification-application-dated-31-august-2015.pdf
SUMMARY OF REASONS 31.08.15
1. The Commissioner has rejected the applications by the ACTU, CFMEU and AWU (the applicants) to disqualify himself for ‘apprehended bias’. There has never been an application based on ‘actual bias’.
2. The Commissioner has prepared written reasons which have been published.
3. In summary, the test set out in the reasons is whether, by reason of his agreement to speak at the sixth annual Sir Garfield Barwick Address, a fair-minded lay observer might reasonably apprehend that the Commissioner might not bring an impartial mind to the resolution of the issues for decision in the Commission.
4. Two key arguments were made by the applicants.
First argument
5. The applicants’ first main argument was that a fair-minded lay observer might apprehend bias merely because he or she might apprehend that the Commissioner had agreed to deliver a legal speech to a function organised by two lawyer branches of the New South Wales Liberal Party. Issues of fundraising were irrelevant to this argument.
6. The Commissioner rejected this argument for three reasons:
1) First, the nature of the event was a legal address in memory of Australia’s longest-serving High Court Chief Justice. It could not rationally be concluded that a person who merely agrees to give a legal address at such an event, albeit organised by the lawyer branches of the Liberal Party, believes in, supports or has any relevant association with the Liberal Party.
2) Secondly, the applicants did not explain how there was any logical connection between their argument and the actual issues for determination in the Commission, in particular having regard to the way material is collected and the Commission’s hearings are conducted, in which detailed evidence is given publically and tested by cross-examination.
3) Thirdly, even assuming the first and second reasons were wrong, the applicants did not show that a fair-minded lay observer might conclude the Commissioner, a highly experienced lawyer and former judge, would not be able to put out of his mind any extraneous or irrelevant matters and deal with the issues impartially.
7. The concession by the applicants that nothing could be said about the political leanings of the speaker at the 2014 Sir Garfield Barwick Address significantly undermined the applicants’ argument.
Second argument
8. The applicants’ second main argument was that a fair-minded lay observer might apprehend bias because the observer might apprehend that the Commissioner intended, in agreeing to deliver the sixth annual Sir Garfield Barwick Address, to raise funds or assist in raising funds or generate support for the Liberal Party.
9. The Commissioner rejected the second argument, also for three reasons.
1) The first reason was that, when the documents are considered properly, there was no factual basis to support the argument that a fair-minded lay observer might apprehend any intention on the Commissioner’s part to raise funds or assist in raising funds or generate support for the Liberal Party.
2) The second and third reasons for rejecting the second argument were similar to those for rejecting the first argument. The concession by the applicants that nothing could be said about the political leanings of the speaker at the 2014 Sir Garfield Barwick Address also significantly undermined the second argument.
Thank you Dyson Heydon, your courage and determination are an inspiration to honest, decent Australians everywhere – you are a true Australian hero.
I really didn’t think Wong would be stupid enough to go ahead with her threat to move to have the GG sack Heydon but she and Doofus have announced on ABC today that they will. Be good though to have all the names of those prepared to protect corruption and smear a decent man recorded in Hansard for all time.
I’m beginning to think most Labor parliamentarians are just not very bright people selected from a very small pool of talent. They’re out of their depth because they have no experience of the real world.
The usual trajectory these days is school, university, media adviser / union lawyer, seat in parliament.
Just look at their CVs. Would any of us here engage Julia Gillard, Penny Wong, Bill Shorten etc to act for us in a legal dispute? Even in a fence dispute between neighbours?
Nuff said.
And Heydon has the hide to question Shorten’s credibility as a witness. He needs to look at himself in the mirror and read out his “legal eagle” excuses for not finding himself bias or perceived to be bias. Then he would see and hear a truly non credible witness. Heydon really does believe we are all stupid and so does the lying, rorting and deceiving Tony Abbott who doctored this RC into unions from the start as a political witch hunt.
One thing to come out of Heydon’s judgement on himself is that the average man of the street or fair minded person wouldn’t accept Heydon’s self serving reasoning for finding himself not to be bias. This galah Heydon should join Abbott’s circus because he’s quite a clown
A poll conducted by 7news yesterday , of 27000 people had a result of 55% in favour of Justice Haydon decision. I take it that you are in favour of the members of unions being defrauded by the very people that they are trusting .
There is only one clown in the above post and it certainly ain’t Justice Hayden.
Hey Alistair,
Can you provide the source of your claim?
Con
Here’s an ABC poll where it was a higher percentage:
Justice Dyson Heydon has decided to stay on as head of the trade union Royal Commission; has he made the right call?
Yes 72%
No 28%
5238 votes counted
http://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/polls/archive/
You and the fair minded on the picket line
5000 sample size who bothered to answer the poll question inot statistically significant to represent a community’s view.
Neither is 27,000, but I’d love to see the reference. Of course I’ll trust what the media tells me….. I’ll wait.
Seven 4pm news Tuesday 01sept. 2015 .This will be on Channel 7s Website Con.
Alistair, can you provide the web address because I can’t find anything on the poll on the channel 7 website (https://au.news.yahoo.com/). Really messy site to navigate!
Con , Last night I also checked the site and couldn’t find it . I suspect it was a phone in poll . It was only a 30 second grab and the news reader (male) commented that he was surprised at the result . Why he should be , I wouldn’t know , unless he was of the opinion the RC should stand down.
At last resorts I suppose we could phone CH7 news. and get a confirmation .
The 4PM news in Sydney is actually broadcast from Melbourne .
I think it is an absolute disgrace for the dirty labor mob trying to discredit Heydon, or anyone else for that matter, given the history of this filthy bunch of self serving rodents.
We need to look at this incredibly dangerous union attack on Australia. Not just our few honest men of the law and generally decent Australian people.
Get your hands on a book by Perth lawyer, Hal Colebatch.. AUSTRALIAS SECRET WAR.
Have a read and a cry as to what Shortens mates did to our soldiers in both WW2 and Vietnam .