23-August-2011
Portfolio Media Releases
Topics: Craig Thomson, HSU Finances
E&EO
Michael Smith: … We know more about Craig Thomson. Last night he was mentioned in the Parliament, Andrew Robb is a Member of the Parliament, have a listen to the way Andrew Robb spoke last night and you tell me if you agree with him or not.
[Excerpt from Parliament]
Smith: Oh, geez they shut him up! This Government is causing a crisis of confidence in this community. I totally agree with that bloke, Andrew Robb, the Member of Parliament who said that. I feel it too! Because what do you say to your kids, "oh no kids, it’s alright, if you’re in the know, if you’re one of the Labor mates, you’re sweet". Andrew Robb’s on the phone, Andrew g’day.
Andrew Robb: G’day Michael.
Smith: Thanks for saying what we all feel.
Robb: Well, I was cross last night; we’d just spent a day in the Parliament hearing all sorts of excuses; throwing the blame around for not just this issue, there’s many more things out there that are causing great heartburn and anxiety for lots of people and I’d had enough of it and we were at the time talking about the carbon tax and I just felt we were offering the Government the opportunity to have a vote – have a plebiscite – which would mean they don’t have to risk losing Government, there’ll just be a decision whether people liked it or not, and I said you’ve lost all this integrity through the carbon tax and lying before the election and doing something different later on, and now we’ve got things like this Thomson affair, all of these are tearing at the heart of people’s confidence in Government.
Smith: And yet, you said sickening, it’s sickening – geez, when I heard that word I thought, “that’s how I feel too”, that they support him, go out of their way to support this bloke we lose jobs, we lose – people in the meat trade lose jobs, the live export thingo stuff spirals down, but nobody goes running in to the defence of that, but the amount of (inaudible) energy and firepower that’s being used to defend a grub…
Robb: Yes
Smith: … it’s sickening!
Robb: Well, that’s how I felt, and so I said it.
Smith: Mate, you’re also from a business background, and you, like me, understand the requirements that the Securities and Investment Commission places on businesses to file their returns and stuff, now the union is yet to file – or I’m yet to see on their website – from 2007, the last year Thomson had responsibility, there’s still no return filed!
Robb: No there’s not, and it was clear from an article in The Australian today, where they’ve said that according to the financial records and official auditors have refused to verify the books…
Smith: This is the last year in which Thomson was withdrawing, as we know now…
Robb: Yes
Smith: …$100,000, $20,000, in cash from the hole in the wall ATM, and in which he was using that credit card for things like hookers and all sorts of things.
Robb: Yes, that’s right, and the thing is, what was reported this morning is that the union is broke. If you look at the records for 2009 they are broke, and it confirms again the inadequacy of relying on the Fair Work Commission…
Smith: Stacked by Labor, by union people…
Robb: …indeed; it has now been well over two years they’ve had this issue in front of them. They’ve got quite extraordinary powers to enter premises, inspect any work and material and…
Smith: …and they’ve used it against bosses…
Robb: …well they use it all the time and with great speed.
Smith: So why aren’t they using it against a union that represents 70,000 people who pay their bills, 70,000 members, doctors, cleaners, storemen, kitchen hands, you’re telling me, and it’s reported in The Australian that the union is essentially broke.
It’s spent money, hand over fist, because it was led by people like Craig Thomson, the money’s gone on all sorts of spurious activities not in the interests of their members, and it’s broke.
Robb: That’s right, and if ASIC – which is the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, it oversees all corporations – now if ASIC had responsibility for overseeing the finances of unions, which are responsible for multi-million dollar funds of members, now if ASIC had responsibility, they would have been all over this issue, and it would have been resolved in 2007.
Smith: Exactly. And if a Chief Executive Officer of a listed corporation had a self-approving credit card, used it for the withdrawal of in excess of $100,000 from ATMs in a matter that’s not acquitted and not accounted for, used it, presented it at brothels and stuff like that, that CEO would be in the dock [clicks] like that!
Robb: Like that, and quite properly…
Smith: Too true!
Robb: … and it makes me wonder, now, why the new secretary herself has not lodged a request to the police…
Smith: I agree with that
Robb: …to investigate these matters, because clearly she’s coming into this – there’s no suggestion that she’s involved – but she’s come into, seen major mismanagement and impropriety and seen books that have not been – well, the 2007 have just been submitted, as I understand it.
Smith: Can I tell you this, Andrew Robb, that as a result of the pressure that we have kept up day in and day out, I have written to Commissioner Scipione myself and my own hand. Simon M has gone down to the police station at Wyong, I won’t give his surname but I speak to him from time to time, he’s a member of the Health Services Union.
Yesterday and over the weekend Senator Brandis and I sat down and went through, what effectively is a brief of evidence including the record of my interview with Craig Thomson, and last night that was forwarded to Commissioner Scipione. This afternoon Commissioner Scipione’s police force has released an advice to the media that says they are now examining the evidence contained in Senator Brandis’ brief of evidence.
They are – well their word – investigating it to ascertain whether or not in their opinion prima facie – a criminal offence has occurred in New South Wales, and that they will announce further as that – their word is investigation, as that progresses. I think that is a step forward this afternoon Andrew.
Robb: Oh, I think it’s a most encouraging response. The Commissioner is, from my judgement, a man of integrity…
Smith: …I agree wholeheartedly with that.
Robb: … and I do think the position that you’ve shown is leading to a great community contribution, I’ve got to say, and all credit to you Michael for the way in which you’ve persisted with this thing under a lot of pressure I think…
Smith: Thank you
Robb: … and a lot of jaundiced responses in the early weeks, so hopefully it will come to pass that this thing will be properly investigated, and justice fully done.
Smith: All the best Andrew, good to talk to you.
Robb: Thanks Michael.
Smith: Andrew Robb MP
ENDS