Category: Trade Union Royal Commission

Bill Shorten has suddenly decided to do something about the Unions stealing money from their members and exhorting bribes and blackmailing businesses. He is about to announce a proposal for significant new powers to crack down on corrupt unions in a bid to reposition Labor in the wake of the trade unions royal commission. After a year in which the Opposition Leader has been dogged by the royal commission and his performance in the witness stand, Labor will attempt to demonstrate to voters it too is prepared to crack down on corruption. Their first plan of attack was to ignore all the revelations coming out of the Trade Union Royal Commission but when the press kept on reporting the shady deals as facts, which they obviously were, they then started labeling it as a witch hunt.  The public saw through that as well so now Bill feels obliged to show he has “zero tolerance for criminality or corruption in the union movement”. “Zero Tolerance” as different from “Full Tolerance” that has been the ALP’s attitude to Union rorting up to this point. I don’t recall the words “Zero Tolerance” ever used during the Craig Johnson trials. Bill Shorten indicates he is still in denial;

“At the core of the Liberals and their political ideology, is a desire to destroy the ability of unions to effectively represent workers, making it easier to rip away pay and conditions like penalty rates,” he said.

No it isn’t Bill. The core of the Liberals and the thinking public’s ideology is to have unions operate under the same rules as businesses.  That is to say, when Union officials steal money from their members, extort money from businesses or blackmail them, they are fined or sent to prison just like Business leaders are. Don’t steal money from your members….nothing to fear. Don’t extort money or blackmail businesses….nothing to fear. Account for your funds through independent audit….nothing to fear. Easy Bill. I wonder if today’s news has any impact on Bill’s timing;

Two of Australia’s most powerful construction unionists have been charged with blackmail as a year-long investigation into Victorian CFMEU state secretary John Setka and his deputy, Shaun Reardon, arising from the trade union royal commission, culminated in dramatic arrests.

A bit hard to deny now.

Shorten claims the release of the news that the Trade Union Royal Commission has found he has not committed any indictable offence was released late on Friday night was an attempt to bury his “Innocence” has nothing to do with the timing It is all about Shorten trying to get more media coverage on the announcement. He may not have committed an indictable offence but he has committed and immoral and unethical offence. Any Trade Union official that negotiates a pay decrease for it’s members in exchange for funding that was used to finance his campaign to gain a seat in parliament has to be considered as unethical at best. But that’s the unions for you. Day after tedious day, the Trade Union Royal Commission uncovers examples of union officials stealing members funds for personal gain. Day after day, millions of dollars of unexplained or false invoice deals are uncovered and the Unions and the ALP are still screaming “Witch Hunt” Yes…right fellows. In today’s news;

The Turnbull government will make a staunch defence against any Labor attack on the trade union royal commission in parliament this week, seizing on corruption allegations against the Australian Workers Union. At least five former AWU offic­ials have been criticised in the submissions, including alleg­ations of possible criminal behaviour by Bill Shorten’s former deputy at the union, Cesar Melhem­, who faces a prison sentence if ultimately charged and convicted of falsifying invoices.

Staunch defence!!! They should be attacking, not defending. Every press conference, whatever it’s initial subject, should be closed with ” Did you note today’s news from the Trade Union Royal Commission? Did you note that Secretary X has used X dollars on his or her private expense? Every day, every press meeting. And then table in Parliament a bill that brings Union officials under the same regulations as business leaders. Let ASIC sort it out.