The trade union royal commission's top lawyer has decided not to recommend further criminal charges be pursued against disgraced union leader Kathy Jackson.

In a submission released on Friday, counsel assisting the commission, Jeremy Stoljar, said the decision was due to an ongoing police investigation into Ms Jackson's alleged criminal conduct. 

Mr Stoljar said royal commissioner, Dyson Heydon should support the findings of a recent adverse Federal Court judgment against Ms Jackson.

The civil proceedings resulted in Ms Jackson, the Health Services Union's former national secretary, being ordered to pay $1.4 million in compensation to the HSU.

Mr Stoljar said a Victorian Police taskforce was "conducting an investigation into whether criminal conduct had occurred " and it appeared unlikely to be concluded before the commission finished later this year.

"In the circumstances presently arising, including the likely further lapse of time before the completion of the police investigation and the complexity of the matters the subject of that investigation, these submissions will not seek to speculate on the outcome of the investigation by canvassing whether criminal conduct may have occurred in relation to the allegations against Katherine Jackson," the submission read.

However, the commission said on Friday night that Mr Stoljar's submission last year that Ms Jackson be referred to the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions for potential charges over a $250,000 payment made by the Peter MacCallum cancer hospital would still be considered by Justice  Heydon. 

The submission on Friday argued Ms Jackson, former HSU president Michael Williamson and another former national secretary Craig Thomson have personally been responsible for the misappropriation of union member's funds totalling $2.4 million.

"It is further submitted in overview that this sorry history of misappropriation and deceit was facilitated by a culture then pervasive at the HSU, in which senior management operated with a sense of complete entitlement in respect of the use of members' money and at the same time without being subject to proper control or supervision," it said.               

While Ms Jackson  was "instrumental in revealing Michael Williamson's conduct", the submission claimed she "misused her position as a union official to further her own interests and her political ambitions in a variety of ways and over a period of years, resulting in the misappropriation from the HSU of in excess of $1.4 million."

It says the picture that emerged of the HSU under the three former officials was deeply disturbing.

''It is of a union in disarray. It is of a union in which the predominant culture among senior management was of entitlement, not service,'' it says.

''At the apex of the union was a triumvirate of persons who were prepared to further their own personal interests and political ambitions at the expense of the members.''

The commission also announced on Friday that former Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Howes would be among a raft of witnesses called to give evidence later this month when the inquiry re-examines the AWU. It said he will appear as part of a fresh examination of the union's relationship with the company Cleanevent.

Read more: http://www.afr.com/news/policy/industrial-relations/royal-commissions-top-lawyer-refuses-to-recommend-criminal-charges-against-kathy-jackson-20151002-gk01kg#ixzz3nUs93DZO
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cods wrote on Sep 24^th, 2015 at 5:42pm:


If you read the article cods, you will have seen that the 'at this stage' was a caveat against the remote possibility that some third party - not the RC - wanted to ask him questions on the basis that they were adversely affected by the evidence he has already given.

Do I need to explain that any further for you?

The commission said on Tuesday that it had not received any applications to cross-examine Mr Shorten when the AWU hearings resume for 10 days from next Monday.

The commission had asked affected parties to state by Tuesday if they wished to apply to cross-examine amy person who had previously given evidence in relations to the AWU.

"The current intention of the commission is not to recall Mr Shorten, but he remains subject to his summons for the time being," the commission said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.afr.com/news/policy/industrial-relations/bill-shorten-unlikely-to-reappear-before-royal-commission-20151006-gk2bvm#ixzz3nqronEQI
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Aussie2 wrote on Sep 24^th, 2015 at 7:47pm:


Just another pathetic example of Aussie using 1 of his multi nics to support another one of his nics.

Lisa Jones wrote on Oct 22^nd, 2015 at 11:50pm:



I already figured that one out, I thought I'd let it ride a bit and have some fun