Fair Work - Crook Deck: High Stakes Poker

[Garpal Gumnut]

Nick Xenephon will get re-elected for one seminal moment today.

He described the " doing of nothing " as being

Doing Sweet FWA

Sweet FA.

Sweet FWA.

Poor Workers.

Poor Country.

What a deriliction of duty from our " betters ".

No wonder the economy is so paralysed.

gg

 

[rumpole]

He described the " doing of nothing " as being

Doing Sweet FWA

That's rather clever. Nick would make a good PM.

 

[MrBurns]

I thought George Brandis was impressive.

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2012/s3471362.htm

 

[Julia]

The only path back to normality is for the ALP to be kicked in to the dustbin of history, it is their fault that the country is in such a bad shape, morally and financially, with little hope for a better future under their regime.

gg

You're right to draw attention to the moral downslide under this government. We tend to focus on the financial and purely political aspects.

This government with their obfuscation and self serving covering up of anything unpalatable is sending a repugnant message to the people.

The only consolation is the knowledge that their continuing woeful behaviour just puts more nails in their electoral coffin.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

You're right to draw attention to the moral downslide under this government. We tend to focus on the financial and purely political aspects.

This government with their obfuscation and self serving covering up of anything unpalatable is sending a repugnant message to the people.

The only consolation is the knowledge that their continuing woeful behaviour just puts more nails in their electoral coffin.

Thanks Julia,

I have many mates who are ALP members who will not be renewing their membership. They share your despair of the loss of a moral compass by the ALP.

They wish for a regeneration of their party, but the youth are sick of them.

They cannot attract workers, tradies or office workers to run in seats. They are in despair.

The final nail in the Queensland ALP coffin is the choice of an ALP apparatchik, Jackie Trad, to contest the seat which Anna Bligh vacated after the ALP rout in the recent Queensland Elections.

From the SMH.

A Labor party official who once worked for Anna Bligh will contest the seat the former Queensland premier's resignation has left vacant.

They just do not get it.

gg

 

[drsmith]

FWA are now saying they'll release the HSU investigation report in 4 to 6 weeks.

Isn't that around budget time ?

Poor Labor. The best they can do now is to try and keep all the fires in one spot.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

FWA are now saying they'll release the HSU investigation report in 4 to 6 weeks.

Isn't that around budget time ?

Poor Labor. The best they can do now is to try and keep all the fires in one spot.

It will be interesting to see whether a future Royal Commission will not suggest criminal charges against FWA officers with gaol terms for those found guilty.

It is becoming a very high stakes game for these officers of FWA.

I do hope they have dotted the i's and crossed the t's and have not been effluent in their emails or sms.

gg

 

[joea]

Hi.
The link maybe the start of "questions unanswered".

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...temic-misconduct/story-fn59niix-1226319824250

I think that this issue now almost looks like a diversion to keep the "hounds" off Swan with his budget.

My question is,.. Is someone else, or is something deeper behind this FWA fiasco??.
Has the HSU been condemned to the rubble, and the ACTU to benefit.
joea

 

[Logique]

I thought George Brandis was impressive.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2012/s3471362.htm

Ditto.

GEORGE BRANDIS:
Let's, Tony, not forget that at the heart of this case is the fact that hundreds of thousands of dollars of union money, member's money, was spent for purposes which could not on any view have been regarded for as being for the purposes of the union. What it was in effect was a form of white collar crime.

and

For it to be assessed, if the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions gave it the priority which because of its public notoriety he ought to do, then a judgment could be made within a matter of weeks. It would then be a question of when the matter could be listed on the court's lists, but I don't see why there couldn't be a trial before the end of this year.

Over to you FWA (the sweet).

 

[dutchie]

This contemptible saga has gone beyond the prosecution of justice for one man.

Fair Work Australia itself has, in order to please its party allegiances, become the main act.

FWA should be held to account, investigated and prosecuted for corruption and perverting the course of justice.

The evidence:
Taking a ridiculous amount of time to produce a report.
Refusing to co-operate with state police (NSW & Vic.)
Producing a document to the DPP which they knew could not be used by the DPP.
Not releasing the report to the public.

The prosecution of FWA will enable the prosecution of Craig Thomson and the other HSU officials (irrespective of the affect it may have on the continuation of the labor govt).

It is with some irony that the ACTU has already tried to distance itself from these proceedings so that their members are not tainted with the same brush. But it would be sheer folly to think that the actions within the HSU are not mirrored in other Unions.

The non prosecution of FWA will forever taint all supposedly independent bodies so that they will be always held under suspicion by the public.

A Royal Commission is the only possible solution in this matter with no restrictions as to how high it can delve.

 

[MrBurns]

Yes it's increasingly looking like a communist regime, the way they can push such obviously dodgy actions in the publics face is nothing short of incredible, and most of the public haven't woken up yet.

Gillard is a criminal protecting other criminals.

This will go down in history as a black time for Australia as on top of the financial incompetence Gillard arrogantly spits in our faces with BS like "Fair Work Australia is independent" when it's obvious to everyone following this that they are anything but, We have a lying manipulating Prime Minister and there's nothing we can do about it for a while yet.
If any of the independents had any moral fortitude they would withdraw support and let the people have their say.

 

[drsmith]

It will be interesting to see whether a future Royal Commission will not suggest criminal charges against FWA officers with gaol terms for those found guilty.

It is becoming a very high stakes game for these officers of FWA.

I do hope they have dotted the i's and crossed the t's and have not been effluent in their emails or sms.

gg

Too late for that I suspect. Caught red-handed me thinks.

It will be interesting to see if it is indeed held back for 4 to 6 weeks while Labor slowly burns.

If any of the independents had any moral fortitude they would withdraw support and let the people have their say.

The best we get from them is the two public attention seekers commenting on one of Labor's "lesser wild fires".

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/med...ender-a-shambles/story-e6frg996-1226319041119

They could at the very least be proactive in relation to FWA.

 

[MrBurns]

It will be interesting to see if it is indeed held back for 4 to 6 weeks while Labor slowly burns.
.

This is just to delay until everyone has their excuses and stories sorted.

 

[sails]

This is just to delay until everyone has their excuses and stories sorted.

And maybe to bring in a media distraction from the possibly not so healthy budget?

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Peter Hartcher in the SMH has had enough of the Gillard/Green Government's obfuscation on the Health Services Union rort and the position of Craig Thomson, an ALP member essential to a majority for the government in Federal parliament.

The Health Services Union stinks so much that the entire trade union movement this week felt obliged to distance itself. So how long can the Gillard government continue its blithe pretence that all's well while it has the former head of the union and a chief suspect sitting on its parliamentary benches?


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/polit...-the-fishes-20120406-1wgtl.html#ixzz1rLBhmVqL

This is a disgrace.

gg

 

[drsmith]

A disgrace indeed, but a very enlightening article by Peter Hartcher if it all proves to be true.

 

[Julia]

Peter Hartcher in the SMH has had enough of the Gillard/Green Government's obfuscation on the Health Services Union rort and the position of Craig Thomson, an ALP member essential to a majority for the government in Federal parliament.

This is a disgrace.

gg

Peter Hartcher is an apologist for the Labor government, so for him to write such a severely critical article is a clear measure of the amount of trouble the government is in on this, and it's getting worse with every day that Julia Gillard - in a misguided attempt to protect herself - takes a hands-off stance.

This paragraph from the article sums up the situation well.

Gillard government's biggest problems are that it is considered to be illegitimate by many voters, and regarded as dishonest by many more. Is this a government that can really afford to continue to shelter on its parliamentary benches a man subject to a gathering storm of investigation for defrauding the low-paid aged care workers of the HSU so that he could pay for prostitutes?

Most of our attention in this sordid matter has been with regard to the political implications. It must, however, be particularly galling to the low paid members of the HSU that their union fees have been so disgracefully abused.

The longer Gillard goes on nurturing this snake, the more damage to her own reputation. Unbelievable that she cannot see this.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Thanks Julia, for pointing out that Peter Hartcher of the SMH is normally an ALP apologist.

This will end up worse than the Whitlam debacle.

I agree with your sentiments drsmith

gg

 

[drsmith]

Peter Hartcher is an apologist for the Labor government, so for him to write such a severely critical article is a clear measure of the amount of trouble the government is in on this, and it's getting worse with every day that Julia Gillard - in a misguided attempt to protect herself - takes a hands-off stance.

I wouldn't have thought so, until I got to this;

Gillard has options. For instance, at the next opportunity, she should explain the facts of life privately to Thomson. She should then announce that her government will not allow itself to be smeared any longer by the sordid allegations. Until the Thomson affair is settled, he will not sit on the government benches in Parliament. He will go to the crossbenches.

Labor's grip on power would be unchanged. Not only did its one-vote margin become two last November thanks to Liberal turncoat Peter Slipper, the government should still enjoy Thomson's support in the House. Provided Labor manages him prudently, he would continue to side with Labor on important votes.

Wishful thinking that the public at large would see it that way given it's obvious that on those so-called "important votes", Labor would still be sharing its bed with Craig Thompson.

My bolds.

 

[banco]

It will be interesting to see whether a future Royal Commission will not suggest criminal charges against FWA officers with gaol terms for those found guilty.

It is becoming a very high stakes game for these officers of FWA.

I do hope they have dotted the i's and crossed the t's and have not been effluent in their emails or sms.

gg

Noone will be able to lay a finger on the FWA. All that will be in the emails will be: "I think we need further legal advice on point A" (which will have added another 3 month delay) and "I think we need to reexamine point X" (another 3 months passes) etc.