Ghosts of Julia Gillard’s past back to haunt her: Corruption inquiry accuses her ex-boyfriend of funnelling union slush money into her home renovations
A DEAD man has blown the whistle from beyond the grave on a union slush fund which former prime minister Julia Gillard helped set up.
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A DEAD man has blown the whistle from beyond the grave on a union slush fund which former prime minister Julia Gillard helped set up with her then-union boss boyfriend by providing legal advice.
Senior counsel assisting the royal commission into union corruption yesterday accused the former PM’s ex-boyfriend Bruce Wilson of using fraudulently obtained money from the fund — the AWU Workers Reform Association — to pay for Ms Gillard’s home renovations in 1994.
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Explosive evidence at the union corruption inquiry also revealed Ms Gillard — at the time a lawyer for Slater & Gordon — flew from Melbourne to Perth to help her former lover rescue the alleged slush fund when questions were asked by the Office of Corporate Affairs in Western Australia.
Former AWU state secretary Mr Wilson was left reeling in the trade union royal commission yesterday after a 1997 police statement written by union official Glen Ivory before his death in 2004 directly contradicted Mr Wilson’s claims.
As Mr Wilson fumbled through his answers, Senior- Counsel assisting the Commissioner Jeremy Stoljar repeatedly questioned his evidence and fired at him: “You are just guessing as you go along.”
Mr Wilson admitted yesterday he authorised invoices to be sent out for almost a year to major contractor Thiess for training work in Western Australia that never happened. The cash was paid into the slush fund.
Mr Wilson said he set up the AWU Workplace Reform Association with Ms Gillard’s help while she was a lawyer in Melbourne.
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A document tendered in evidence yesterday incorporating the association showed she had filled out the name: Australian Workers’ Union Workplace Reform Association. Ms Gillard is not accused of any wrongdoing.
When the Office of Corporate Affairs in Western Australia raised questions about the association Ms Gillard flew in to Perth to help her then boyfriend sort it out.
The association did not have enough members.
“So you knew the certificate of association was false?” Mr Stoljar asked.
“Well I didn’t think of it in those terms, I just know that we didn’t have five members,” Mr Wilson said.
The commission heard he brought in four union officials to make up the numbers, including Melbourne-based trade union official Bill “The Greek” Telikostoglou. Among the other members was West Australian branch official Glen Ivory, who has since died.
Mr Wilson claimed Mr Ivory did much of the training work the association invoiced for but Mr Ivory yesterday spoke from beyond the grave in a 1997 police statement, denying he had done the training or that the association was authorised by the union.
“At no stage was that association ever discussed and no authority was given by Blewitt or Wilson to form the association on behalf of the AWU or open and operate accounts in that name,” he said.
Ms Gillard’s lawyer Neil Clelland also challenged Mr Wilson: “Ms Gillard disputes the suggestion that she attended a hearing of any nature in relation to the incorporation of the WRA.”
Mr Wilson replied: “I just had some vague recollection that it was in a courtroom.”
But he did recall Ms Gillard helping him write a power of attorney to enable him to buy a property in the name of self-confessed union bagman turned whistleblower Ralph Blewitt, partly using slush fund money.
Mr Stoljar has said Mr Wilson and Mr Blewitt should face fraud and corruption charges over the fund.
Mr Wilson denied Mr Blewitt’s claim $50,000 had been withdrawn from the fund for AWU president Bill Ludwig. But he said Mr Ludwig sounded him out for $10,000 towards election expenses. No money was handed over.
Mr Wilson disputed builder Athol James’ claims that Ms Gillard had said Mr Wilson was paying for renovations to her Abbotsford home and had seen him hand her cash but admitted the funds had been used to buy the house he moved to in Kerr St.
“They were also used to pay for renovations at (Ms Gillard’s home in) Abbotsford?” asked Mr Stoljar.
“No,” said Mr Wilson.
He also denied claims by former AWU researcher Wayne Hem he paid $5000 cash into Ms Gillard’s bank account on behalf of Mr Wilson.
John Lehmann Editor-at-Large
IT was over a Thai dinner in Melbourne more than 20 years ago that Julia Gillard offered to help her boyfriend, then-union boss Bruce Wilson, buy a house which ended up being partly paid for using money from a secret slush fund.
A royal commission heard yesterday how Ms Gillard used her legal expertise to assist Mr Wilson and his union bagman Ralph Blewitt to set up the fund and then purchase a Fitzroy house.
Over the dinner in 1993,
Ms Gillard, then a lawyer at Slater and Gordon, was told Mr
Blewitt was about to purchase the house and Mr Wilson would be bidding at auction on his behalf.
“I think Gillard mentioned that I couldn’t just go and bid on his behalf and that I would need a Power of Attorney,’’ Mr Wilson said in a statement. “I recall I asked Gillard what I had to do and she said it was fairly simple and that she could do it in the morning for me before Blewitt went back to Perth.’’
The commission was told that money from the slush fund as well as a loan from Ms Gillard’s law firm was used to purchase the house.
Mr Wilson denied that Ms Gillard was aware that money from the fund — the AWU Workplace Reform Association — was used to buy the property.
Commissioner Dyson Heydon yesterday also dismissed as “irrelevant” large parts of Mr Wilson’s evidence that had been read out on ABC radio earlier in the week. Removed from his statement were his claims that he had been offered $200,000 to change his evidence to incriminate Ms Gillard. She has denied any wrongdoing.
Miranda Devine comment
JULIA Gillard’s ex-boyfriend Bruce Morton Wilson mightn’t look much like a gentleman, even with a fresh haircut and natty black suit in the witness box of the Trade Unions Royal Commission yesterday.
But the union heavy turned mild-mannered Central Coast cook couldn’t have been more chivalrous to the former PM as he gave evidence about the AWU slush fund she helped him set up 20 years ago.
Everyone was lying except the two of them, he claimed: “I don’t recall that I ever gave Gillard any money … During our relationship (she) was independent about everything, including financial matters.”
A picture of the relationship between the flame-haired Slater and Gordon solicitor and the AWU official emerged.
Wilson helped renovate her home and often drove her to work, she gave him free legal advice over dinner. She once flew from Melbourne to Perth to help vouch for the bona fides of the slush fund, aka the AWU Workplace Reform Association, before the WA Office of Corporate Affairs.
But at all times Wilson defended Gillard’s honour, and rejected evidence from three witnesses that he had given her thousands of dollars for renovations to her Melbourne home.
Late yesterday, Gillard had instructed her barrister, Neil Clelland QC, to query Wilson on the only part of his testimony he faulted. “Ms Gillard disputes the suggestion that she attended a hearing of the incorporation of the Workplace Reform Association.”
Wilson agreed he could have been wrong about that.
After decades apart, Wilson remains loyal.
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