CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION – AUSTRALIA

Senior CFMEU bosses face criminal charges

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Original article by Nick McKenzie, Ewin Hannan, Richard Baker, Nick Toscano
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 25-Aug-15

Officials of the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU) are under police investigation in three states. National president Dave Hanna, who was also a vice-president of the Australian Labor Party in Queensland, has quit the union as police probe allegations that he received secret commissions. In Victoria, senior officials of the CFMEU’s construction division are facing allegations of blackmail, while in New South Wales Brian Parker, the state secretary, is being investigated after phone taps linked him to organised crime figure George Alex.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, VICTORIA POLICE, NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE FORCE, QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, BUILDERS’ LABOURERS’ FEDERATION

Jackson ordered to repay $1.4m to health union

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 20-Aug-15

The Federal Court has found the former head of the Health Services Union, Kathy Jackson, misused union funds. She has been ordered to repay $A1.4 million. Justice Richard Tracey said Jackson had improperly used her position to gain personal advantage, spending union funds on shopping trips, divorce payments and holidays overseas. Jackson declared bankruptcy on the first day of the court case.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HEALTH SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA POLICE, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Heydon gives unions four days

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Phillip Coorey, Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 18-Aug-15

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the integrity of Justice Dyson Heydon, head of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption, who is at the centre of a political brawl for agreeing to speak at a Liberal Party dinner. Abbott accused the Australian Labor Party and the trade unions of trying to smear the former High Court judge to distract attention from the findings of the royal commission. Justice Heydon has said he overlooked the Liberal Party link with the dinner when agreeing to be guest speaker.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, THE RHODES TRUST, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Union took money from rehab centre

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 11-Aug-15

The building industry union kept half the money raised for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic, the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption has been told. Foundation House in Sydney was funded by employers, who agreed to pay $A3 a week for each employee under a workplace agreement with the union. Master Builders Association CEO Brian Seidler said he and others resigned from the clinic’s management committee when it was discovered some of the funding was diverted to union activities.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MASTERS BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, BOVIS LEND LEASE PTY LTD

Coalition to put ABCC bill to a Senate vote

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 11-Aug-15

Legislation to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission will be put to the Senate following damaging allegations in the trade union royal commission. Employment Minister Eric Abetz says the activities of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union confirm the need for an industry watchdog. The bill requires the support of six of the eight crossbench senators.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, ACTU

Payments linked to union

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 14-Jul-15

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Corruption & Governance has heard allegations of bribery involving the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU). A Canberra-based contractor claims that he made cash payments in excess of $A135,000 to a former union organiser, Halafihi Kivalu, in return for securing work on a residential project. He was told that the CFMEU would shut down the site if he failed to make further payments. A second contractor has also claimed to have made cash payments to Kivalu.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CLASS 1 FORM PTY LTD

Abbott lines up double-D unions poll

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1& 6 : 13-Jul-15

The Australian Government plans to use the Registered Organisations Commission Bill as one of two potential triggers for a double-dissolution election. Officials of unions and employers’ groups who are found to be corrupt will be subject to the penalties that currently apply to corporate executives. The Government will also reintroduce its bill on the Australian Building & Construction Commission to the Senate when parliament resumes in August 2015.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Shorten warned to stop dodging questions

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Jul-15

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten fronted the Royal Commission Into Trade Union Governance & Corruption for a second day on 9 July 2015. Shorten was questioned about Thiess John Holland’s payment of $A300,000 to the Australian Workers’ Union during his tenure as national secretary. He told the commission that he could not recollect discussing the deal, and rejected suggestions that the union had issued fake invoices to the builder in return for the payments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, THIESS JOHN HOLLAND, ACI, HUNTSMAN CHEMICAL COMPANY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CHIQUITA MUSHROOMS PTY LTD

‘Corrupt culture’ in super fund

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Original article by Joanna Mather, Sally Patten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 3-Nov-14

Jeremy Stoljar SC, counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption, has criticised the Cbus industry superannuation fund. He argued that evidence of members’ details being leaked to the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union showed an overly close relationship and a "cultural failure". Industry Super Australia CEO David Whiteley rejects any suggestion the leak is symptomatic of practices in the sector generally. Stoljar also recommended criminal charges against some building union officials over an unlawful secondary boycott

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, LIS-CON HOLDINGS PTY LTD, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Steely Gillard stares down corruption questions

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Original article by Marianna Papadakis, Hannah Low
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 11-Sep-14

Former prime minister Julia Gillard has appeared before the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption. She told the commission on 10 September 2014 that she did not receive any financial benefit from a union slush fund which she helped to set up in 1992. Funds from the Australian Workers’ Union Workplace Reform Association were subsequently misused by Gillard’s then boyfriend, Bruce Wilson. Gillard told the commission that, in hindsight, she would have acted differently

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION – WORKPLACE REFORM ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED, HEALTH SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA