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Wednesday May 22, 2013

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Sorry PM, but this issue hasn't gone away

Posted by: Derryn Hinch | 15 November, 2012 - 5:30 PM
Julia Gillard

This comes under the category of ‘Sorry, Prime Minister, but the issue hasn’t gone away’.

It concerns Julia Gillard’s time at Slater & Gordon in the 1990s. Her personal and professional involvement with Bruce Wilson. The theft of more than $400,000 dollars  of money   big companies thought they were giving to a legitimate union welfare fund. The ‘slush fund’ as  the PM described it to her superiors during an investigation at  Slate & Gordon.  The purchase of a property in  Carlton by Wilson – with allegedly stolen funds. An auction the self-described  ‘ young and naïve’  Gillard attended.  The conveyancing for the property that lawyer Gillard said she didn’t  do and her then senior  law partner said she did.

And now the claims in The Australian newspaper, with stat decs from a then union official describing how he deposited $5000 in cash in to a personal Julia Gillard bank account after being given the money by Wilson, her boyfriend, in 1995.

Now it is fine for the PM to have held an ambush media conference back in August and  to  attack the ‘ misogynists and nutjobs’ on the Internet  and what she called ‘ false and defamatory’ stories in the Murdoch press.

It was clever to grab one small mistake in a story in the Australian which wrongly called  the ‘slush fund’ a ‘ trust fund’.

But since then Prime Minister Gillard  has stonewalled. Repeatedly has used that exhaustive press conference as proof she had been an open book, answered every question.

Made it clear: I did nothing wrong.

In her latest response, to the latest detailed stories  and questions in the Australian yesterday and today,  the PM’s office said: ‘ As The Australian is well are the Prime Minister has made clear on numerous occasions that she was not involved in any wrong doing.’

The spokesman also said: ‘I also note that, despite repeatedly  being asked to do so, The Australian has been unable to substantiate any allegations of wrongdoing’.

It’s clever. But will it be enough? This story, which has, it is true, been played out mainly on the Internet has now entered mainstream media.  The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald,  The Australian all have questions. Documents  are now surfacing.

Some former union officials are prepared to talk to Police. The one argument Julia Gillard should not be using is that it all happened nearly 20 years ago.

That’s the line George Pell peddled  when opposing a Royal  Commission into paedophile priests.

There’s no statute of limitations when it comes to issues of truthfulness and character. Not when the dirt starts flying in an election year.

Drive with Hinch

Hinch Hinch is a former police rounds reporter, former foreign correspondent, former newspaper editor, former host of national current affairs shows, former novelist, former radio host in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, former MIDDAY host and former jailbird.

 

Blog comments Your Say

  • Lissy & I say thtt5 The Isue has not gone but Gllard will soon be gone.

    JASON & MELISSA FROM BORONIA & FERNTREE GULY Saturday 24 November, 2012 - 7:10 PM

  • Labors waste and union fraud and corruption= a bad government garry, can't wait for Gillard and co to be dumped>!

    Steve Wednesday 21 November, 2012 - 3:14 PM

  • Oh Garry, work choices again.
    Labor= Lie's, Stealing Union Funds, Failed policy after failed policy, Wasted billions on flat screens and set top boxes, Desal plant, Myki, pink batts, Class Warfare, Grubby politics.

    Liberal= ??? New party so who knows, sure to be better than the mob above.
    So garry i have happy days to look forward to. When Gillard gets bumped and when she is charged with theft of AWU funds.

    The Dean Wednesday 21 November, 2012 - 2:08 PM

  • labor=unions=fair wages and conditions. Howard=Abbott=Workchoices,howards time came and it was the greatest day of my familys life...

    garry Tuesday 20 November, 2012 - 8:53 PM

  • In my opinion, it's not about left or right, In the USA, i support the democrats, even though I'm a libertarian by nature, their hard right tea baggers are the same coin of which the present ALP & the unions, are the other side of the same coinage! Both the colour RED, I'M for the BLUE in both countries, for the decent people , our conservative party is far more moderate, so if we go down the path of the raging right or the loony left, we will be bound to an incompetent, devious union dominated ALP, WE HAVE TO WIN THE MIDDLE! THANKS DERRIN, I used to listen to you in the mid 70's when i lived in Melbourne and still think You're the BEST! Bailleau, Farell & Campbell , Newman are really decent men, I just wish the pee/bags would (covertly, ALP helpers) would SHUT UP! We don't need religious nutters to damage the REAL LIBERALS any more!

    niki Sunday 18 November, 2012 - 12:53 PM

  • Gillard has done a lot wrong over this awu fraud. More stories are coming out every day about this fraud. The longer Gillard doesnt make a statement about this whole thing, her credibility will continue to be eroded, and that she has something to hide in this fraud. Remember if it wasn't for Gillard the awu "workplace reform association" fraud would never have happened, she told the western australian corporate affairs commissioner that it was legitimate and the commissioner passed it. Wilson didn't convince the commissioner about this fraudulent association, it was Gillard!.

    kurt Saturday 17 November, 2012 - 5:20 AM

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