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Friday May 24, 2013

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The Prime Minister needs to explain the $5000

Posted by: Neil Mitchell | 14 November, 2012 - 9:52 AM
Neil Mitchell

Julia Gillard must deal with this. She has many questions to answer about her time as a lawyer.

She has answered some questions, true, but since then, many more have emerged and she refuses to answer them.

She says she has addressed it, but she hasn’t – not fully.

She says she has done nothing wrong, fair enough, but the detail must be addressed and this needs to be addressed now.

Today The Australian newspaper has new evidence on the ‘slush fund’ controversy. A slush fund set up by then then-boyfriend, a crooked union official, taking money.

It is now claimed that in 1995 $5,000 in cash was put in Julia Gillard’s personal bank account at the direction of that boyfriend, Bruce Wilson, the dodgy official who was ripping off the union.

Now, there may have been good reason for that, it may have been legitimate. Maybe he owed it to her – who knows? But the Prime Minister needs to explain it.

$5,000 was a lot of money nearly twenty years ago; she would have noticed and she must have known. Was she owed it? Why?

A former union employee called Wayne Hem has sworn a statement to The Australian about this. And the paper has the diary of a very credible witness, Ian Cambridge, who was then a union official and now a Commissioner for Fair Work Australia.

The union official told him about it in 1996. He put it in his diary. The paper has the diary.

Wayne Hem says Bruce Wilson gave him the money in $50 notes and he said he put it into Julia Gillard’s account.

Mr Hem knew only that Gillard was a solicitor; Nobody had any idea she would end up as Prime Minister.

So there was no ugly motivation here from Wayne Hem or Ian Cambridge.

He says Wilson had been to the Casino and had a lot of cash. That in itself should ring alarm bells.

Now in fairness, I repeat, Julia Gillard says she has done nothing wrong. There may be an explanation here, but it is another question.

There are also questions about what she knew, when, and why authorities weren’t notified.

The point is this: the Prime Minister continues to say she has done nothing wrong - that may be right. She says she has answered all questions – that is not right.

Much more has come out since she last spoke about this. It goes to her credibility. Not just at the time of this, but now, today. That is why she must answer.

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Blog comments Your Say

  • Good point Sophie - Where were the statements sent, if there's nothing to hide let the recipient show the records. PS in this electronic age I don't believe COM banks records have been destroyed these cheques would have been electronically imaged and would be in archives so stop the delays Julia lets see the facts!!!

    Robbo Friday 30 November, 2012 - 5:55 PM

  • My judgement of this PM and her government as a working man is simple. Last year i got a tax rebate this year I had to pay them money! No big bonuses, no big pay rises yet I'm over $2000 worse off. Thats before i take into account any rises in my bills!! You've lost my vote!!

    Stephen Friday 16 November, 2012 - 12:21 PM

  • @mylene, it is hard to understand why you follow 3AW as you obviously hate all the presenters and the stories that they speak about. Is it only so that you can make adverse comments? Please tell what the :p after all you comments is representive of!

    Willow Friday 16 November, 2012 - 11:46 AM

  • Interesting times

    Glenn Ashley Thexton Friday 16 November, 2012 - 11:29 AM

  • What's the matter Mylene, is the stench coming from the Labor party starting to panic you, yes you had better frantically look around for some-one else to blame eh? that's the way to go, keep the blinkers on

    Jan Friday 16 November, 2012 - 11:26 AM

  • If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide - let her produce bank records. The electorate are entitled to know - after all, wasn't transparent government promised by her at the last election? Looks like we were dudded.

    sophie Thursday 15 November, 2012 - 7:10 PM

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