The HR Nicholls Society is a group of urbane businesspeople many of whom who would be right at home popping in to the club for a Pimms and cucumber sandwich at the Paris end of Collins Street.
A block or so to their north, Mick Gatto holds court most days outside Society restaurant. The matt black Maserati and CFMEU T-Shirt body builders lounge nearby.
Seldom the paths cross. Unless there are billions on offer and a pliable Labor Government ready to help.
You've got to admire Thiess's foresight and focus on creating favourable business conditions.
Thiess invested about $400,000 in Bruce Wilson - as it turned out Bruce probably wasn't their best mark.
But Robyn McLeod was.
Let me explain. More than $400,000 went from Thiess to Bruce's secret AWU WRA, set up by Julia and apparently modelled on the Victorian Max Ogden WRA set up in 1990.
When AWU members found out, they went to police. Police went to Thiess. Thiess said it was all OK, Thiess got what it wanted and there'd be no complaint.
Someone probably just forgot that not only was Bruce a union rep, he was also a Director of the Board of a Thiess company. And they probably forgot that Julia's bestie, Robyn McLeod was a director too. And union rep. And Emily's Lister. And a developing 20 year veteran of the water industry.
How lucky for Thiess that Robyn stayed Julia's best friend after Bruce.
Even with Julia in the Federal Parliament, she still found time to be Robyn's campaign manager for the March 1999 election when Robyn stood unsuccessfully for the Labor Party in the seat of Mordialloc.
Didn't matter though, because just like when Julia was found a taxpayer job as John Brumby's Chief of Staff after she left Slater and Gordon to campaign for the Senate, Robyn was found a job as the new Minister Candy Broad's Chief of Staff.
Thiess was creating conditions favourable for business then too. When the Labor Party had a big dinner to celebrate in December, 1999, Robyn was on the table with the bosses of Thiess at $1,000 per head.
This was a great investment by Thiess.
Today I'll show you how decisions made by the people in this photo:
Led directly to this, billions of dollars later.
KPMG, Thiess, Mick Gatto, Ceser Melhem - I think you'll be surprised at some of the names you'll read about today. It's like a crime thriller - because that's what it is.
The risks in having two separate legal entities bearing the name AWU in the West (a state-registered AWU union in Western Australia at the same time as a nationally registered AWU operated under the new Industrial Relations Act) clearly bothered the legal advisers in the AWU in 1993.
Deputy President Acton of the Industrial Relations Commission sat on this matter personally to ensure the legal requirements to allow the two entities to operate lawfully were met.
Julia Gillard acted for the AWU WA branch and took instructions from the secretary Ralph Blewitt. Robert McLelland represented the interests of the national AWU.
In preparation for the hearing Ralph swore an affidavit and Ms Gillard was involved in preparing a legal agreement that was lodged in the Commission on 7 May, 1993.
This was just 6 or 7 weeks after the Kerr Street property settled - in which Blewitt could not act directly and had to donate a Power of Attorney not questioned by Ms Gillard.
Conduct complex union business between Perth and Sydney. No problem for Ralph.
Personally issue instructions in purchase of house in Melbourne 6 weeks earlier? Sorry, need Power of Attorney donated to the boss, Bruce, couldn't manage without it.
The point about these court proceedings is that Ms Gillard was required to demonstrate an understanding of and complete adherence to the union's rules and the legislation that related to the status of legal entitities bearing the name AWU in Western Australia.
But there was a third legal entity that she did not raise in these or any other proceedings. It was Bruce's secret. And her secret. And very similar to the one that Max Ogden had set up in 1990.
It had already been queried by the WA Corporate Affairs Commissioner as appearing to be a union for the purposes of the WA state legislation. But reliable Julia told no one.
A is a sober and sedate laywer, not given to bouts of hyperbole. He's ordinarily skeptical about some of the more outlandish claims made about the stupidity and carelessness of our political leaders.
I have an Australian client (who is residing in England presently), I acted on the sale of my client’s property at the beginning of the year.
By coincidence, as my client was overseas, the selling agent forwarded to me a piece of mail that arrived for my client during the sale process. That piece of mail stunned me – it was a cheque for $900.00 from the Australia Government complete with a letter (both the cheque and the letter from the Government were dated 13 December 2012) and the letter specified that the $900.00 cheque is part of the Government’s economic stimulus package.
The GFC occurred over 4 years prior to the cheque.
My client is residing in England (and presumably now will spend his $900.00 in England rather than here). Plus he just sold a relatively expensive property so I can’t imagine that he really needed the $900.00 now.
New information has come to light today that throws immense doubt on Julia Gillard's claims that she simply took instructions from Bruce Wilson about what she characterises as his desire to incorporate the AWU Workplace Reform Association.
Julia Gillard was extensively involved with a Max Ogden, AMWU Education Officer, while they were joint members of the Socialist Forum Incorporated, even taking on the bank signatory role in his stead at one stage.
In 1990, a Neville Maxwell Ogden is recorded as the public officer in an association called Workplace Reform Association Incorporated, which had been incorporated in Victoria that year - fully 2 years before Gillard helped Wilson incorporate the AWU incorporporated entity.
The AWU Scandal to date has revolved around Wilson's Australian Workers' Union Workplace Reform Association Incorporated.
Ms Gillard states that she gave advice to Bruce Wilson about the incorporation and that she did nothing wrong.
The AWU Workplace Reform Association was incorporated by the WA Corporate Affairs Commissioner in June, 1992.
But Ms Gillard's close involvement with like entities extended back at least 8 years before that.
As she told her managing partner Peter Gordon in her recorded exit interview, she "cut and paste" the rules of the Socialist Forum Incorporated as the basis for the AWU Workplace Reform Association.
Well there's a much closer link to a Workplace Reform Association Incorporated than the link Ms Gillard disclosed to Peter Gordon - and it brings into focus the question of who was calling the shots in The AWU Scandal.
Yesterday, Michelle Two sent me this certificate from ASIC. A Workplace Reform Association was registered in Victoria in 1990.
I have further and better particulars about its registration - and its incorporation under the relevant Victorian legislation.
I purchased the extract.
The public officer was Neville Maxwell Ogden of the Monash University Centre, 3rd floor, Exhibition Street Melbourne.
This article appeared in The Age in 1969.
Demonstrating in support of Bougainville natives against a big mining company. Certainly consistent with the views of the Socialist Forum.
"Max" Ogden features heavily in Julia Gillard's Socialist Forum over many years up to 1990, starting here in 1984. The minutes of this meeting record the party at Max's place.
The Socialist Forum becomes an incorporated Association.
And over the years Julia and Max do a lot of work together. There were study circles.
A seminar to decide what sort of socialism they were striving for;
A management committee to run together.
Julia even followed Max as the bank signatory for the incorporated association they'd set up for the Socialist Forum. It was good experience in getting to understand banking procedures.
And what do you think Max Ogden's day job might have been?
I don't know about you, but I'd say that prior to meeting with Bruce Morton Wilson to "take his instructions" about incorporating his workplace reform association, Julia Eileen GILLARD had a reasonable grasp on the topic herself.
And some experience under the belt.
Every touch leaves its trace.
(This post is dedicated to my mate Bob Kernohan who deserves a lot better than what life's dished out to him.)
Almost all OECD countries have had vigourous competition in fixed broadband since 2007. They've grown, invested, got better and better and better.
In Australia, however, private sector investment in fixed broadband effectively stopped in 2007.
The invigorating effects of competition where everyone strives to beat the next guy - dead.
Who would invest money in an industry that the government is nationalising with a new monopoly?
Kevin Rudd owns this problem. He thought there were votes in claiming broadband guruship. Here is an extract from his campaign speech in 2007.
Since 2007 he has stopped the industry from investing. He thought he was better and smarter than the professionals and smart investors. Rudd promised a $4.7BN broadband to the node network. The telecoms industry became more cautious about investing. While Rudd and Conroy worked the politics, other countries encouraged new networks and investments.
Then after encouraging operaters to submit tenders at great cost, Rudd changed the rules. This time there'd be a Fibre to the Home NBN, designed by Stephen Conroy and The Rudd on a VIP plane flight and build by the government. Under the new NBN, there'd be no competitive networks, existing copper services would be shut down, the Foxtel and Optus cables prohibited from offering broadband and the reliable, disaster-resilient normal telephone network closed.
The only fixed network broadband provider would be a company owned by the Australian Government and effectively controlled through weekly confidential meetings by the world's Minister for Directing the Telecoms Industry to Wear Red Undies on their Heads Stephen Conroy.
What private investor in their right mind would invest private capital into new broadband infrastructure in those circumstances?
So what has happened to fast broadband in Australia since 2007? The most recent reliable figures as at December 2012 had the NBN fibre network available at just 72,600 premises
and in use at only 10,400. It stinks.
Most countries with sensible governments have created the conditions for vigourous private sector investment and competition in essential broadband infrastructure.
Stephen Conroy travelled to the United States to tell the world of his greatness in monopolising, nationalising and controlling the roll-out of telecoms networks with his famed red-undies approach to network investment selection.
To my knowledge, only one country on earth has taken Stephen Conroy up on his offer to be in charge of rolling out telecoms networks. Australia. And that's why since 2007 we've become a down-under red-undies broadband backwater.
ENDS
Our mates at Mumbrella have a great story about The Rudd and how he plans to manipulate his broadband screw up story by drawing attention to the countries that have encouraged investment since 2007 when he stopped it. I hope this deceptive campaign rears up on its fibre optic tail and rips him a new one.
The stunt was designed to provoke negative reactions from consumers
who already have better Internet services than Labor claims the Liberals
plan to deliver with their downsized proposals for the National
Broadband Network.
At the time of posting, a YouTube video uploaded yesterday featuring
the reaction of consumers around the world has had more than 100,000
views.
The plan also included fake Facebook ads for Abbott’s Internet, which again triggered negative posts from consumers pointing out the apparent slowness of the plan.
Labor is attempting to make its differing vision for the NBN a key
election battleground. Labor plans to connect optical fibre to the door
of most homes and businesses in Australia while the Liberal plan sees
the high speed connection going only to the end of each street.
The Abbott’s Internet page explains the stunt and links to Labor’s I Want My NBN website.
The Royals picked up the Labor brief to target young people after Naked Communications was fired over an apparent attempt to link an interview with PM Kevin Rudd with free advertising.
Ask people in the countries where that was shot how they feel about their government closing down competitive networks, monopolising the industry, having the government choose which electorates would be connected and when and government ministers picking technology winners about which equipment providers get contracts and which don't.