Bill Shorten’s political career looks like it had the last nail put in it on Thursday (29/10/15) by the Victorian branch of the Labor Party who have set up a branch stacking corruption inquiry which covers Bill’s seat of Maribyrnong. For good measure the Royal Commission will have David Asmar, who is a member of Bill’s crime gang, in the witness stand on Thursday (5/11/15) regarding fraud and theft for election funding by his wife Diana who is Secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU) Victoria Number 1 Branch.
Bill Shorten has a lot of enemies and they have obviously decided it is time for him to go. Because it is one thing for Shorten to claim the Royal Commission is a witch hunt but what can he say about his own party investigating his and his mate’s corruption?
Is Shorten going to say the Victorian Labor Party is on a witch hunt? Nope, he brings out the big smoke screen and uses the look over there routine with his call on Saturday to drop the voting age for elections to 16. A lot of the mainstream media seem to have fallen for it as well or are they just jumping to Bill’s tune?
It is only a couple of months ago in June that well-known Labor branch stacker George Seitz said “I made Shorten an MP”. (Click here to read more)
Labor Party Investigation
The Labor Party corruption investigation relates to branch stacking in the Victorian federal seats of Gellibrand, Melbourne and Bill Shorten’s seat of Maribyrnong.
“The Victorian Labor Party has taken the drastic step of suspending internal elections and has launched an investigation into hundreds of memberships paid for using anonymous pre-paid credit and gift cards.”
“The use of pre-paid cards to pay for membership was banned by the party last year amid growing concerns that the anonymous cards were being used to hide branch stacking.”
“Branch stacking allows groups within a party to control large blocs of votes and influence federal and state preselections.”
“In a motion passed on Thursday evening, the party’s administrative committee resolved to suspend internal elections until an investigation into the use of the cards was completed.”
Shorten was quoted on Friday as saying:
“Branch stacking fundamentally offends my vision for the future of the ALP,” Mr Shorten wrote.”
“Put simple, branch stacking has no place in the ALP.” (Click here to read more)
Why would Bill Shorten support an investigation into Branch Stacking in his own seat? He wouldn’t and hasn’t in the past.
Bill Shorten loses control of the Labor Party
If Shorten really believes that “branch stacking has no place in the ALP” then why didn’t he call for an investigation months ago when the branch stacking was first revealed?
When Bill Shorten and Labor were leading in the political polls against Tony Abbott over the last 2 years Shorten had power in the Labor Party and the Party was well-disciplined. The reason there was discipline in the Labor Party is because it looked like a real possibility that Shorten could become Prime Minister and no one in the party wanted to cross him.
But now that has all changed with Shorten trailing badly behind Malcolm Turnbull in the polls and everyone knows Shorten is a Claytons leader (the leader you have when you don’t have a leader). So the discipline in the Labor Party has gone and there is a power struggle at play as they prepare for life after Bill Shorten.
David Asmar and the HSU
In April this year Royal Commissioner Dyson Heydon flagged that he will again look into corruption at the HSU Victoria Number 1 Branch (trades as the Health Workers Union – HWU) under the management of Diana Asmar. On Friday it was announced that her husband David Asmar would give evidence at the Royal Commission next Thursday regarding how they funded their elections.
David Asmar is also a well-known branch stacker in the Labor Party, has close links to Bill Shorten and worked for Senator Stephen Conroy for 10 years. The Age wrote an article that implies Mr Asmar is also involved in the current branch stacking scandal under investigation.
The below video is an interview I recorded with Sue Hay from the HSU on June 26th this year for an article and is worth watching again as it raises questions relating to the fraud and theft at the HSU by the Asmars. The interview also looks at the Asmars using members’ money to fund their HSU election which the Royal Commission will dig deeper into next week.
(Click anywhere on the above video to watch) (Filmed 26/6/15)
Someone made a complaint to Youtube alleging defamation about the above video when I put it on Youtube in June and they blocked it for Australian viewers. So I put it directly on this site. I wonder who made the frivolous complaint about the video and why haven’t they ever contacted me? Was it the Asmars or maybe Bill Shorten?
Bill’s support for the Asmars
Michael Danby is a federal Labor MP and Bill Shorten’s Parliamentary Secretary (right hand man). As you can see below Mr Danby is supporting Diana Asmar in their attack on Kathy Jackson.
Once again it is the look over there routine. They want everyone focused on Kathy Jackson while Diana Asmar, David Asmar, Andrew Landeryou and his wife Kimberley Kitching have been committing massive fraud and theft at the HSU ripping off some of the lowest paid workers in the country. (Click here to read more) Their crimes are committed with the full support of Bill Shorten and his sidekick Michael Danby as the below Tweet shows.
The above Tweet has certainly come back to bite Danby and the Asmars. It was tweeted a few days ago on the 24th of October before Michael Danby knew David Asmar would be in the witness stand at the Royal Commission. It says “Victorious HWU official Diana Asmar explains why Kathy Jackson never thought she would be found out“.
Well next Thursday the Royal Commission will be asking Diana Asmar’s husband David Asmar exactly how he funded the elections for his wife the “Victorious HSU official Diana Asmar” as Michael Danby calls her. Maybe Danby can shed some light on it? When Diana Asmar was in the witness stand last year at the Royal Commission and perjuring herself like there is no tomorrow she said words to the effect that she did not know how her election was funded as her husband ran the campaign.
And while David Asmar is in the witness stand the barrister working for the Royal Commission might want the ask Mr Asmar why his wife Diana “never thought she’d be found out” for her fraud and theft at the HSU. They should also call Michael Danby as a witness especially given Danby was helping spread grubby lies about Commissioner Heydon a couple of months ago. (Click here to read more)
Diana Asmar already had criminal charges recommended against her by the Royal Commission last year and has also been caught perjuring herself at the Fair Work Commission. (Click here to read more) Asmar is consistent I must give her that.
Bill Shorten would have to win the title for the Australian politician who has the most skeletons in the closet. Every week or two there seems to be another one uncovered. But now it is Shorten’s enemies in the Labor Party that are gunning for him with the latest corruption inquiry and it is impossible to see him survive this one as he was already as good as gone anyhow. Shorten should resign now while he still can.
Update 5/11/15: David Asmar fled to Lebanon to avoid giving evidence at the Royal Commission. A statement from the Royal Commission regarding David Asmar fleeing is below in the comment section.
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Categories: Bill Shorten, Royal Commission
What a stroke of brilliance for the TURC to request all the details of Labor members in Victoria and then postpone the request,
Looks like the Victorian branch of the Labor party is now doing the TURC’s dirty work for them.
Love it
I have always believed that Bill Shorten’s comments about lowering the age limit of voters to the age of 16 was a pathetic attempt to win over young voters to vote for labor. It is the icing on the cake that David Asmar is finally giving his evidence at the Royal Commission in a few weeks. I love that comment about the Royal Commission hopefully questioning David Asmar about his wife Diana thinking she would “never be found out”. This “blaming Kathy Jackson” routine by Shorten’s criminal network has ultimately failed. I have no doubt that the Asmar’s made that complaint to YouTube over that video interview you did with Sue Hay.
Hopefully they finally nail teflon Wandering Willy Shorton. Truly Australia needs to see justice done to the crooks that runs this country through union thuggery. Please allow this important group under Justice Hayden to go as long as is required till ALL THE UNION FILTH and FRIENDS receive their rightful level of justice. It is a difficult task as politicians and elements of the law protect this scum who continue to bleed this beautiful country..
Australia needs and deserves better than what we have at present.
So if the Asmars, Landeryou, Kitching, & Shorten are a block, it gives some traction to Jackson’s claims on 4 Corners about dark opposing forces.
The Shorten criminal gang are a block. They are very dangerous people to cross, They will destroy anyone who fingers them, But thankfully their days are nearly numbered. Kathy Jackson’s claims are completely spot on.
It’s probably not the Labor Party or any other party that is corrupt here, but the individual politicians who carry out their shameless activities as the norm. Where are the true representative politicians in our country? I believe they are there but their voices are muffled by the pressure of their corrupt peers. Any altristic politician out there for our nation or just short sighted self preservation ?
So, what’s in it for Danby and his real constituency? After all, he doesn’t act for anyone else.
I think we should change the name of Bill Shorten from the many derogatory but appropriate names from the past,To Bill “Teflon” Shorten. All the many thousands of words describing his shady past have had no effect on his position as Alternate PM of Australia, with the exception of news poll whose latest poll has dropped his popularity to single figures which is due to the axing of Tony Abbott not his abuse of authority during his AWU leadership and all the other rather shady allegations against him. Just like Gillard he will probably come out of this political cesspit smelling of roses, and justice will not be done, I for on will not be holding my breath. Allan Usherwood from Myalup WA
ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION
AWU/HSU – DAVID ASMAR
COUNSEL ASSISTING STATEMENT – 5 November 2015
In 2014 the Commission held hearings into a number of relevant entities, including generic funds and fighting funds.
Included among these funds was Industry 2020 Pty Ltd, which was examined in Chapter 3.3 of the Interim Report, and the funding of the HSU No 1 Branch Election campaigns, which was examined in Chapter 4.7 of the Interim Report.
These two investigations were connected in the following way: Mr David Asmar is the husband of Diana Asmar and was her campaign manager in the HSU No 1 Branch elections; Mr Asmar is also associated with Cesar Melhem and was the recipient of significant funds from Industry 2020.
One issue the Commission has been considering is what Industry 2020 funds were used for, including those funds supplied to Mr Asmar.
As was noted in the Interim Report, David Asmar did not give evidence at a public hearing in 2014, which inhibited the ability of the Commissioner to make concluded findings on some issues related to this matter (see Interim Report, Chapter 4.7, paragraphs 99-100).
In 2014 Commission staff had sought to make arrangements for David Asmar to give evidence in a public hearing in October 2014. However at that time the Commission was advised by Mr Asmar’s solicitor that he had travelled to Lebanon, and was therefore not available to give evidence.
This year further attempts have been made to resume and complete these investigations, including by having David Asmar give evidence at a public hearing.
In particular, on 15 September 2015 Commission staff contacted Mr Asmar’s solicitor and asked if he had instructions to accept service of a summons to Mr Asmar to appear at a public hearing on 21 October 2015.
Mr Asmar’s solicitor advised that he did not have instructions to accept service of the summons. Consequently Mr Asmar had to be served personally.
On the same day David Asmar changed an existing flight booking and arranged to depart Australia for Lebanon on 18 September 2015.
Commission staff did not know of Mr Asmar’s travel arrangements. However, following unsuccessful attempts to serve Mr Asmar with a summons on 17 September 2015, as a precaution, Commission staff caused a Passenger Analysis Clearance and Evaluation alert to be placed with the Australian Federal Police.
On 18 September 2015 David Asmar arrived at Melbourne Airport to fly to Lebanon. When he sought to pass through customs the alert was triggered. Australian Federal Police officers attended the customs screening point and David Asmar was then served with the summons.
The summons required Mr Asmar to appear at the Commission to give evidence at a public hearing on 21 October 2015.
After receiving the summons, Mr Asmar departed Australia by boarding a flight to Lebanon. At that stage Mr Asmar was scheduled to return to Australian on 27 October 2015, a date after the date on which he was required to appear in the Commission pursuant to the summons on 19 and 20 October 2015 Commission staff and Mr Asmar’s solicitor exchanged communications concerning his compliance with the summons.
These communications culminated in the date for Mr Asmar’s public hearing being further fixed for 5 November 2015. This date was specifically chosen in consultation with Mr Asmar’s solicitor to suit the convenience and availability of both Mr Asmar and his chosen counsel.
On Monday 2 November 2015 the Commission was advised that Mr Asmar was still in Lebanon and for medical reasons would not be in Australia on 5 November. A medical certificate was attached his solicitor’s communications.
The practical result of all this is that Mr Asmar is in Lebanon and it will not be possible to proceed with his examination today. Since his medical adviser, who prepared the medical certificate, is also in Lebanon, it will not be possible for that adviser to be examined on his certificate.
However, the Commission’s inquiries are continuing into this matter. The Commission continues to consider its position in respect of this case study to determine whether further light can be shed upon the use of Industry 2020 funds, whether or not David Asmar becomes available to give further evidence.
The purpose of these remarks is put on public record the reason why a public examination which was foreshadowed in the Interim Report, and which was publicly announced by the Commission just a few days ago, will not be proceeding today
The bumbling incompetents let him leave the country????
Well proof that the RC is politically motivated,biased on the Labor side or threatened by the union bullies, as predicted Shorten is exonerated from illegal or criminal action during his AWU leadership, pity they have terminated the awards, they would probably give him a Knighthood. The gutless coalition should have jailed the union bullies for their treasonable action to Dyson Heydon. This may be the lucky country but it is not very lucky when it comes to dishing out justice, probably our penal colony heritage that favours the criminal.Tony Abbott should have saved our money for all the good it is doing going down the drain to fund a toothless canary. Allan Usherwood MYALUP WA