Julia Gillard’s ex-boyfriend Bruce Wilson gets a lawyer for free at the royal commission into trades unions

TAXPAYERS are funding former Australian Workers Union official Bruce Wilson’s legal fees at the royal commission into trades unions.

Bruce Wilson former boyfriend of Julia Gillard arrives at the Royal Commission into Trade Unions.

TAXPAYERS are funding former Australian Workers Union official Bruce Wilson’s legal fees at the royal commission into trades unions.

Mr Wilson has been represented by barrister Dr Kristine Hanscomb as he has denied allegations before the inquiry that he used union slush fund money to pay for renovations at the home of his ex-girlfriend, former prime minister Julia Gillard, in the 1990s when he was a union official.

Bruce Wilson, former boyfriend of Julia Gillar, arrives at the royal commission / Picture: Renee Nowytarger

As the union corruption inquiry prepares to shift focus to Health Services Union whistleblower Kathy Jackson, Mr Wilson’s Melbourne solicitor Alex Lewenberg yesterday said Mr Wilson, who is now a cook near Port Stephens, enjoyed a year’s free legal advice arranged through pro-bono group Justice Connect.

The group specialises in helping not-for-profit organisations and has helped asylum seekers, children in detention and a transsexual prisoner seeking hormone therapy to get legal representation.

Mr Lewenberg said: “We have now applied to the commonwealth government for the money and the authority to pay comes from the Attorney-General’s Department.”

But the legal representation is limited to preparing for and appearing at the commission and covers no investigation work towards his case. Mr Lewenberg refused to say what it was worth but it is estimated to run into thousands of dollars.

The commission into union malpractice this week is expected to hear allegations that HSU official Kathy Jackson used $1 million of union funds to pay off her credit card.

Health Services Union whistleblower Kathy Jackson / Picture: Stephen Cooper

It was Ms Jackson who made allegations of financial wrongdoing at the union which helped put HSU NSW General Secretary Michael Williamson behind bars and expose Labor MP Craig Thomson’s misuse of union funds to pay for porn and prostitutes.

But counsel assisting the commission Jeremy Stoljar said a number of allegations had emerged against Ms Jackson in recent weeks. These include claims she used HSU bank cheques to withdraw $220,000 in cash between 2007 and 2010 and was involved in a slush fund. It is also alleged that unauthorised payments from the HSU’s No. 3 branch were made to a bank account she controlled.

She has previously dismissed allegations she used her union credit card to pay for personal items including shoes, makeup, French champagne, a ski trip and a room at Las Vegas’s Bellagio hotel.

Ms Jackson remains the HSU’s honorary national secretary but has been on stress leave for almost two years.

Mr Stoljar said the inquiry would examine how the corruption in the union was allowed to flourish and why it was not detected earlier.