In her latest attempt to avoid returning the millions she allegedly purloined from the HSU, Kathy Jackson declared herself bankrupt this week. Peter Wicks from Wixxyleaks says this just matches her moral state.
Just over three years ago, in May 2012, I ventured into the murky depths of the Jacksonville swamp.
Since then, we have all seen what an insipid cesspit of lies, deception, arrogance and utter stupidity it is. Made up of allegedly corrupt union officials, many now living off workers compensation; back-handed payments and slush funds; wild spending, including on domestic and overseas holidays; intimidation by wannabe union thugs, opportunistic politicians such as a current PM and several of his Ministry; charity shags; intentional distortion of facts by friends in the media; and not to mention an Abbott appointed vice president of the industrial relations watchdog, whose kids worked for the union in question and who is now the de facto husband/lawyer/charity shag of the union secretary at the centre of a major criminal investigation.
Phew! You can read about all these things on our dedicated Jacksonville page.
This week, after many attempts by Jacksonville leading lady Kathy Jackson to delay Federal Court proceedings, and just as many desperate bids to have them dismissed, things took a turn for the surreal.
This week, Jackson declared herself financially bankrupt. While some may say that this equates to the best of both worlds, for the members who have had their money taken and would like to see it returned, it would be no comfort at all.
Jackson, is of course, the self-proclaimed Health Services Union whistleblower who, in blowing the whistle on her factional opponents, has foolishly exposed herself in the process. She was to appear in front of the Federal Court this week, but apparently seemed to think staying in bed was more important.
Despite her court absence, Kathy made yet another bid to have the case against her thrown out so that the union members she used to represent don’t retrieve a cent of the approximately $1.4 million of HSU funds she is alleged to have taken and misappropriated. The Union is now seeking approximately $2.5 million through the court from Jackson once legal costs are taken into account.
The bankruptcy declaration has caused the court case to be adjourned until Friday, when it is hoped that Jackson may grace the court with her presence.
So, where has all the missing millions gone? Is it with the mystery exercise book? Perhaps washed away by a great financial record-destroying flood? Or did it get caught up and shredded with all the documents?
Just one of the bags of shredded documents left in the HSU office after Jackson's faction were voted out
Currently under question is a property deal between Jackson and her de facto husband, Fair Work Commission Vice President Michael Lawler, someone who I’m sure is Tony Abbott's proudest appointment so far.
That questionable deal is to transfer Jackson’s multi-million dollar property into Lawler’s name. This would apparently leave Jackson utterly skint.
Lawler himself seems to be turning into a property tycoon who seeks to acquire Jackson’s estate and get both his and Kathy’s mitts on a bigger chunk of David Rofe QC’s estate, now that he has been diagnosed with dementia. This, while they live in the QC’s property neighbouring theirs, a property that Lawler gained control of after purchasing the estate on the mentally incapacitated QC’s Rofe’s behalf.
According to Fairfax reports this deal was to
“… recognise the financial and other support provided by Mr Lawler.”
The world I live in doesn’t require a financial transaction for me to provide support my partner. I don’t expect cash for compassion, it’s just something I would provide for her without question or payment. But hey, perhaps I’m the weird one here?
I clearly live in a different world to Lawler and Jackson.
We now wait with bated breath to see what eventuates on Friday and some are already taking bets on whether Kathy will even have the guts to front the court she demanded all her factional opponents face.
HSU vows to pursue bankrupt Kathy Jackson http://t.co/o45kkutRC9 via @FinancialReview
— Louise Hall (@LouiseCHall) June 30, 2015
However for members the good news is that this civil case is just the foreplay. While for the HSU’s lawyer Mark Irving it may feel like he is having another ride in the infamous barber chair, the real shafting will come with Jackson's now seemingly inevitable criminal prosecution.
Jackson’s antics, outbursts, empty accusations and grand standing have only served to highlight her own questionable behavior. Highlighting that behavior has now seemingly driven her into bankruptcy and brought about a criminal investigation on herself.
In doing so, she looks at not only the distinct possibility of having a nice pair of orange overalls picked out for her, but also destroying the already mortally wounded career of her de facto husband. Add to that the chance of seeing members of her faction and former friends face criminal investigations and not least the exciting possibility of seriously damaging the credibility of many members of the current Government, who piled praise on her despite knowing of the allegations against her.
A final question for Christopher Pyne to consider before Friday’s upcoming fiasco:
"With the benefit of hindsight, does your parliamentary apology still feel like it was a good idea Mr Pyne?”
I’m guessing not.
Peter Wicks is an ALP member and a former NSW State Labor candidate. You can follow Pete on Twitter @madwixxy.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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