Labor Federal; Inquiry finds against Thompson

Posted on January 27th, 2012 by Ginger

From, The Age Online, by Kate McClymont, January 27, 2012.

AN INVESTIGATION by Fair Work Australia into the Health Services Union has made adverse findings against key union officials including president Michael Williamson, national secretary Kathy Jackson and former national secretary Craig Thomson, now a federal Labor MP.

The three were notified last month that the workplace regulator intended to make adverse findings against them.

They were given several weeks to respond formally to the allegations. After considering their responses, the regulator will release its final report

Mr Williamson said in a text message yesterday that his lawyers had not finalised his responses but the allegations against him were ”bread and butter stuff”.

Mr Thomson said: ”You have an unreliable source.”

An independent audit by BDO Kendall after Mr Thomson’s departure found that during his five years as national secretary his union credit card had been used to withdraw cash advances totalling $101,533.

Advances allegedly ranged from $100 to $600 and were said to have occurred every few days for five years until November 2007. His credit card was also said to have been used at a Sydney brothel and two escort agencies and to pay restaurants and bars and for personal items. Read more…

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Filed under: Federal

Federal Labor Cabinet ditches pokie reform deadline;

Posted on January 21st, 2012 by Ginger

From The ABC Online, January 21, 2012.

Federal Cabinet has announced it is formally abandoning a deadline to introduce mandatory pre-commitment technology for poker machines.

Labor had a deal with independent MP Andrew Wilkie to form government, which involved changing poker machine laws by May 8.

But a Cabinet hook-up held this morning has seen the Government abandon that time line.

The Government cannot find enough parliamentary support for the changes, and Prime Minister Julia Gillard last night met Mr Wilkie for talks on the issue.

Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin, who joined in on the meeting last night, announced that she had met with Clubs ACT to propose a 12-month trial of mandatory pre-commitment technology on poker machines.

“The vast majority of members of the Parliament would like to see a proper trial of mandatory pre-commit so I certainly hope it will proceed,” she said.

“We want to get proper evidence. The Government does believe that mandatory pre-commitment is a useful tool for problem gamblers. Read more…

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Filed under: Federal

9th Queensland Labor Party MP quits politics.

Posted on January 16th, 2012 by Ginger

From The Herald Sun Online, January 16,2012

QUEENSLAND Premier Anna Bligh is not expecting any further resignations after backbencher Julie Atwood became the ninth Labor MP to quit politics.
Ms Bligh confirmed Ms Attwood would not contest this year’s state election, which must be held by June 16, because of personal reasons.

Ms Attwood, who is the parliamentary secretary for health, has held the southwest Brisbane seat of Mt Ommaney since the 1998.

Her departure follows the resignations of Attorney-General Paul Lucas, Rob Schwarten, speaker John Mickel, Lindy Nelson-Carr, Desley Boyle, Judy Spence, Energy Minister Stephen Robertson and Police Minister Neil Roberts.

“I don’t expect to see any more people put their hand up,” Ms Bligh told ABC Radio.

“You’ve seen confirmation today from Julie Atwood from Mt Ommaney.

“Julie is dealing with a very difficult personal issues.

“It’s very well known locally that her husband has a very serious condition.”

Ms Bligh said the resignations were healthy for state politics and totally within the realms of the lifetime of a parliamentary term.

“There’s nothing unusual about a turnover at senior levels of government,” Ms Bligh said.

“It happens in any electoral cycle.”

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Filed under: Queensland, Uncategorized

Labor P.M. Julia Gillard and WA Premier Colin Barnett clash over funding.

Posted on January 8th, 2012 by Ginger

From The Australian Online, Jan. 7, 2012, by Paige Taylor and Lanai Vasek.

IT’S game on between Julia Gillard and the nation’s most popular premier.

She pointed to billions of Commonwealth dollars poured into Western Australia by Federal Labor, a comment sure to rankle a premier unhappy that the powerhouse state receives only 72c for every dollar of GST collected by the Commonwealth.

The relationship has been strained for some time between the Liberal premier and the Labor prime minister but Mr Barnett told The Australian this week that all trust evaporated when the Commonwealth went back on an historic federal Labor promise to help states pay native title settlements.

To underscore the point, Mr Barnett said that every dollar his government collected in mining royalties was worth more than a dollar from the Commonwealth “because it is a dollar we can guarantee”. Read more…

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Filed under: Federal

Federal Labor; Federal Police raids over home insulation fraud.

Posted on December 27th, 2011 by Ginger

From the Herald Sun Online, December 27, 2011 

The AFP has reportedly raided numerous financial institutions over Labor’s botched home insulation scheme.

NUMEROUS financial institutions across Australia have been raided as part of ongoing investigations into Labor’s botched home insulation program.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has targeted “numerous financial institutions”, The Australian reported this morning.

The raids come after the AFP executed 35 search warrants and seized documents and computers from home insulation installers across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in March.

An AFP spokesman told the newspaper that the additional searches had retrieved “significant amounts of documents and electronic evidential material relating to the alleged fraud”.

No one has yet been charged with any offences as part of the investigation by the Australian Federal Police and the federal Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

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Raids over home insulation scheme

The $2.45 billion insulation scheme was axed in early 2010, after being linked to four deaths and more than 100 house fires.

Under the botched home insulation scheme, installers were paid subsidies of between $1000 and $1600.

In April, federal Climate Change Minister Greg Combet acknowledged there were “significant problems” with the scheme’s design and delivery, and a “serious level” of non-compliance by dodgy installers.

“We did have a number of fly-by-night operators (and) it appears that fraud may have been committed,” he said

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Filed under: Federal

Labor MP Craig Thompson turned plagiarist

Posted on December 16th, 2011 by Ginger

From, The Age Online, by Philip Dorling, December 15, 2011.

BESIEGED federal Labor MP Craig Thomson took a $24,000 taxpayer-funded overseas study trip and then plagiarised much of his report to the government – presenting speeches by overseas officials and outdated Wikipedia articles as his own work.

A compilation of overseas travel reports tabled in Parliament on the authority of Special Minister of State Gary Gray last month also concealed Mr Thomson’s failure to submit his report within the 30-day deadline set by the rules that govern MPs’ overseas travel. The report was submitted more than four months late.

Mr Thomson spent at least $23,899 of his overseas travel entitlement on a 42-day tour, from March 26 to May 8, visiting Britain, Ireland, France, Spain and the US.

He subsequently sent Mr Gray a report titled The Global Financial Crisis – The European and US Experience – Lessons learnt and future expectations. More than two-thirds of the report’s 33 pages, including most of its analysis and commentary, has been cut and pasted from internet sources. Read more…

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Filed under: Federal

Labor Federal; Ousted PM Kevin Rudd to challenge Julia Gillard by May.

Posted on December 4th, 2011 by Ginger

From The Sunday Herald Sun December 4, 2011, by Samatha Maiden

UPDATE 10.20am: KEVIN Rudd still has “the ticker” to tackle Julia Gillard for the prime ministership and is preparing to challenge within months.

Despite a belief that Mr Rudd’s leadership ambitions had been put on ice following a recent turnaround in fortunes for Julia Gillard, supporters of the deposed PM want him to move on her before next year’s Budget in May.

“Kevin has never wanted for ticker when it comes to taking on the leadership,” one Labor MP told the Sunday Herald Sun.

Mr Rudd’s resolve is said to have firmed after being humiliated at the ALP national conference.

Despite dragging Labor out of 13 years of opposition in 2007, Mr Rudd’s brief period as prime minister was deliberately wiped from history by Ms Gillard in her opening address.

Mr Rudd’s backers were infuriated and disgusted by the very public snub.

Despite Gillard Cabinet euphoria that the year had ended on a high with the defection of Peter Slipper and the passage of the mining tax, Mr Rudd’s supporters insist the leadership issue has not been laid to rest. Read more…

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Filed under: Federal

Labor NSW; Driver tells ICAC he organised prostitute for ex NSW Labor MP Ian Macdonald

Posted on November 29th, 2011 by Ginger

From, The Herald Sun Online November 29, 2011

THE driver of former boxer Lucky Gattellari has told a corruption inquiry he helped organise a prostitute for former NSW Labor MP Ian Macdonald.

Senad Kaminic gave evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Sydney today.

Mr Kaminic said he was given $400 in cash by Mr Gattellari at a lavish dinner at the Tuscany Ristorante in Leichhardt.

He then drove an Asian girl to the Four Seasons Hotel at The Rocks, booked her a room and waited for property tycoon Ron Medich.

Mr Kaminic told the inquiry it was his understanding that the girl was being put in the room for Mr Macdonald.

“She was probably told she was going to have sex,” he said.

“I believe these girls they know why they are there and asked to do a certain thing.

“Lucky told me it was going to be for Mr Macdonald.

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Filed under: N.S.W

Labor Tasmania; Ex Labor PM guilty of sex with child prostitute.

Posted on November 22nd, 2011 by Ginger

From The Age Online, November 22, 2011

A former Tasmanian MP has been found guilty of having sex with a 12-year-old girl sold into prostitution.

A Supreme Court jury yesterday found former upper house MP Terence Lewis Martin guilty of unlawful sexual intercourse with a young person and producing child exploitation material.

It could not reach a verdict on a third charge of indecent assault.

Martin, 54, denied all three charges, saying he responded to an ad for adult sexual services in September 2009 and thought the girl was 18.

Martin was a client of a 12-year-old girl who was prostituted in 2009 by her mother and Glenorchy man Gary Devine – who have both been jailed for prostituting the girl. Read more…

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Filed under: Tasmania

Labor NSW; Former Labor MP Karen Paluzzano charged with giving false evidence to ICAC

Posted on November 21st, 2011 by Ginger

From The Herald Sun Online, by Amy Dale, November 21, 2011

FORMER New South Wales Labor MP Karyn Paluzzano has been charged with giving false and misleading evidence to ICAC, nearly 18 months after the inquiry recommended she be prosecuted.

The one-time member for Penrith and parliamentary secretary for education and training opted not to appear in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court this morning for the first mention of her case.

She is charged with five offences, including two of giving false or misleading evidence to a public hearing.

Another two charges relate to making a false statement to obtain a financial advantage and another offence is for misconduct in public office.

The court was told the matter is an “ICAC prosecution” and Paluzzano didn’t enter a plea.

A former electoral officer who worked for the 51-year-old Paluzzano told the Legislative Assembly in late 2009 that she had used public funds to fund her campaign for re-election- an accusation Paluzzano initially denied at an early ICAC hearing in April 2010.

At another corruption hearing less than three weeks later, Paluzzano allegedly admitted to using her mail allowance for her own political use as well as falsely signing pay forms.

Paluzzano was suspended from the Labor Party and resigned from Parliament on May 7, 2010, which triggered a by-election in the Penrith seat.

Liberal candidate Stuart Ayres stormed into the seat with a 25 per cent swing from Labor, less than a year before the party’s crushing defeat in the state election.

The corruption watchdog recommended in July 2010 that criminal charges be laid against Paluzzano and three of her staff.

Registrar Paul Morgan adjourned the case until February 2, with the brief to be served by December 22.

Paluzzano’s lawyer Kate Traill said her client wasn’t in court for the mention.

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Filed under: N.S.W

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