Last Friday (16/10/15) the Trade Union Royal Commission heard evidence which clearly shows that witness Edward Lockeyer told police he bribed Bill Shorten $40,000. Mr Lockeyer tried to back pedal from it and said he did not know what he told police but this itself was an incriminating answer and not believable.
It relates to a $40,000 bribe Bill Shorten organised in 2007 to help him get elected to federal parliament.
Shorten arranged the bribe from Edward Lockeyer who formerly owned the labor hire company Unibilt.
“The former director of a Victorian labour hire company says Labor leader Bill Shorten personally asked him to pay for a manager for Mr Shorten’s 2007 election campaign and to put the political operative on his company’s payroll.”
“Unibilt director Edward Lockyer said he met the campaign manager, Lance Wilson, once, at a meeting in late 2006 with Mr Shorten, who was the national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union and preparing to run for a federal seat in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.”
“The company employed AWU members and was about to open pay negotiations.”
“He [Mr Shorten] asked whether I’d be interested in assisting him with his election,” Mr Lockyer told the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption on Friday.”
“On July 8 and 9, Mr Shorten told the inquiry that Unibilt made the donation through the AWU. He didn’t declare the contribution to the Australian Electoral Commission until July 6 this year.” (Click here to read more)
Bill Shorten also asked Mr Lockyer to disguise the payment in his financial records. Why? Because Shorten knew it was very dodgy which helps explain why Shorten did not declare it until this year and only a couple of days before he gave evidence at the Royal Commission.
Mr Lockyer said the below answers at Royal Commission last Friday in relation to the $40,000 bribe:
Q. Have you ever told anyone that you were seeking to help Bill out and get favours from him?
A. No.
Q. You never said that?
A. Not to my knowledge, no.
Q. Did you ever say that to the police?
A. Oh, I can’t recall what I said to them; I have no
idea.
Q. This year, I’m talking about.
A. Yes, I know. (Click here to read the full transcript)
For counsel assisting the Royal Commission Jeremy Stoljar to ask the question “Have you ever told anyone that you were seeking to help Bill out and get favours from him?” he had to already know the answer. The police had obviously told Jeremy Stoljar that is what Mr Lockeyer said to them which is an admission that he bribed Bill Shorten because he gave him money looking to get favours.
If the police asked Mr Lockeyer questions about the $40,000 bribe then one has to assume they are investigating Bill Shorten because there is no other reason they would be asking Mr Lockyer such questions. Although the Royal Commission has apparently said the police attached to the Royal Commission are not investigating Shorten which is contradictory to why the police would be asking Mr Lockeyer questions. Whatever the case it isn’t good for Shorten.
For Mr Lockeyer to say in relation to his conversation with the police “I can’t recall what I said to them; I have no idea.” is a poor attempt to cover-up the bribe. He obviously has had legal advice since the conversation with the police and realised he had admitted to bribing Shorten.
Last year the police investigated Bill Shorten for rape and this year it is for fraud and corruption. So what’s next?
The above also goes a long way in explaining why Bill Shorten tried to conceal naming Fiona Ward when he was a witness. I wrote back in July:
“When Bill Shorten was in the witness stand on Wednesday (8/7/15) he was allowed to conceal from the public the name of a female staff member who helped with his 2007 election campaign. On Friday, after legal argument, she was identified as Fiona Ward. After researching her background it is obvious there are many reasons why Mrs Ward and Bill Shorten didn’t want her identity revealed.”
“Fiona Ward’s maiden name is Darwin and she is a former employee of the Health Services Union and worked for Jeff Jackson at the HSU Victoria Number 1 Branch. It’s reported she was a good friend of Kathy Jackson. (Click here to read more) She currently works for the Victorian Minister for Police Wade Noonan MP which could come in handy for a friend who has been accused of crimes in Victoria like Bill Shorten has.” (Click here to read more)
It would be fair to suspect Fiona Ward has been tipping off Bill Shorten as to what the police have been up to regarding Shorten’s crimes.
Bill Shorten has plenty of other dodgy deals that have been revealed in further detail this week but he ain’t no Teflon man as the polls show. It is just a case that no one in the Labor Party is prepared to make a move at the moment.
Admin: I had last weekend off which was the first one since January. Back on deck now with some big stories to come in the next few weeks.
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Categories: Bill Shorten, Royal Commission
I can only imagine the outcry in “our” ABC if an allegation even remotely like this was made about a senior Liberal politician. But a Labor pollie – and the leader of the Labor Party to boot? – the put on their collective best Leslie Neilson: “Nothing to be seen here. Move along”.
I am waiting until they uncover the rip off of the A.B.C’s Union by their delegates. How will that go down with all the Noddy Dogs in the pen???
It is starting to worry me that these Politicians do not seem to be able to remember any thing which they did, said, or were associated with. So how are they going to do their jobs??? If their memories are so bad how are they going to remember what Portfolio they are holding and what actions in that Portfolio they were planning to carry out. Some how I am starting to think that these people are lying about their criminal activities. and most of it revolves around the Unions of the members who are on the lowest rates of pay. So whilst the Union member is slaving his / her guts out for a pittance their Union representative is out living the high life on the Unions money and manipulating their way into Government via the Union members sacrifice. One can only hope that these creations find the cell they are thrown into has a fine view of the concrete wall their Union built.
I Only hope the Corruption Commission does not sway away from what they were formed to do , and pursue the truth to the very end. With no outside pressure from any political interference, to shield the members that have all ready been questioned earlier this year.
Bill Shorten is only one of the Politician’s who needs to be scrutinised again . There were many prominent names mentioned and shielded before him , with no action taken on her either .
He is being the named skate goat , for the other ones in hiding . Destroying that crucial paperwork was the most secretive attempt to destroy anything that could tie anyone one of them to the corrupt dealings that have been going on for many years , with no redress for them or their allies .
Destroying crucial evidence , that should carry the same penalty as fraud, 10 years minimum.
I would like to see Pandora’s Box explode, on all who tarnished the workers Union, no matter what year they robbed the Union Fund of any money. Still relevant today, why should any of them who robbed the Union be excluded , no matter how long ago.
The rot is set in , from the highest in office to the lowest paid office worker in the Union.
$1 dollar stolen , has the same effect as millions of dollars stolen , the word stolen means the same in any offence. It means it was not your money to take, it belonged to others . Not you !
Yes , we should all be worried about the people who want to run our country, all money hungry for them selves , while the workers struggle to keep afloat , with every day living expenses , and the increases the Polies keep applying .
Bad memories , that’s all they ever have , Liars need to have the BEST of memories , not responding I don’t remember what I said to police .
Lets all hope this will be the end of Unions political influence on the Politicians we vote in to run this beautiful country . they are not meant to be their for their own gain , they are there with our trust , to take us in the direction of prosperity , not rob us all at every chance they get .
It seems Bill Shorten won’t be around in six months time.
When and if this matter ever gets to court who will be the presiding judge !!!!!
The TURC has just announced that Shorten will not be called again to give evidence.
He can now be officially declared a KOALA,a protected species.
Please don’t insult the koala. After all, as a marsupial it cares for its offspring in its pouch.
Seems to me almost everyone connected with politics is a type of prehistoric mammal….. dangerous, no brain, self interested and maybe in time they will become extinct and our community will decide for itself what we want without having to be indebted to “mates ” or a clique, like we see now as some of the witnesses in this RC into unions demonstrate so well!