Today we'll look in detail at 3 different incorporated entities.

2 are legit and one, the AWU WRA is a sham - but I've found it a fascinating exercise to get right inside these organisations and the who, what, why, when and how as to the establishment of each of them.

Association NO 3 was used corruptly to rip off nearly half a million$$$$.  The money didn't manoeuvre itself into the wrong hands; and nor did the association get incorporated all by itself. 

People did it - and the more we know about who did what, who said what and who knew what - and when - the better we as a community will be able to understand the nature of the crimes against us.

A joint criminal enterprise exists when:

Two or more persons reach an understanding or arrangement amounting to an agreement between them that they will commit a crime; and

While that understanding or arrangement is still on foot, one or the other of them does, or they do between them, in accordance with their understanding or arrangement, all of the things that are necessary to constitute the crime.

The understanding need not be express.  Its existence may be inferred from all of the circumstances.

An offender can be found to be criminally liable either on the basis of his or her participation in a
joint criminal enterprise or by the application of the doctrine of extended common purpose.

There's quite a bit of ground to cover today - from the months of preparation that led to the incorporation of the Socialist Forum Inc in 1986 - right through to the halcyon days of auctions, powergel in the boot and spontaneous home renovations.

Let's go back a few years before 1986.   Gillard is at Uni in Melbourne with fellow Australian Union of Students office holders Candy Broad, Paul Carrick and her beau Michael O'Connor.

Jacquie Kent's book The Making of Julia Gillard tells us Michael O'Connor was an AUS organiser while Ms Gillard was the union Vice President.  Jacquie writes they shared a flat for a couple of years.   As the AUS imploded Socialist Forum was Ms Gillard's next big step, her big chance.

In April 1985 the minutes of an extraordinary meeting of the Socialist Forum recorded this:

Here are some of the names that pop up at most of the Socialist Forum meetings.   Bernie Taft, Mark Taft, Max Ogden, Jenny Macklin, Michael O'Connor and many more.   Lots of the people at Socialist Forum meetings were also around when this happened;

Here's Max Ogden in the news:

If you can cop a bit of conspiracy in the morning, here are a few links you might glance over at your leisure.

http://vuir.vu.edu.au/15470/1/15470.pdf

http://www.cpa.org.au/index.html

https://deeppoliticsforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2906.html?s=8c51a398adbaac0d79e7860a424f3e62

By August 1985 the young and naive Ms Gillard was taking responsibility for a seminar on union power, this is from the minutes of the 20 August meeting that year.

The Union Power seminar came up again at the 21 November, 1985 meeting as you'll see in the extract below.  

But Union Power would have to wait.   Julia Gillard was fired up - it was like a red rag to a red ragger!  Tribune was calling!    

(Nunawading how to vote scandal here.)

Right now I need your help - particularly if you live in Wollongong or Melbourne.

Tribune was the Communist Party of Australia's main rag.  It turned 60 in 1983 as this substantial article in the Fairfax Press records:

I would love us to get  a copy of Tribune from November or October 1985 with the article about the Socialist Forum and the Gillard letter.

The University of Melbourne tells us that it has a pretty comprehensive Communist Party of Australia Collection, including copies of Tribune.

And so does the University of Wollongong archive.

If you're near by - how about it? 

I have a legendary find from the University of Sydney to post for you later on today.   If you can help out with Tribune  - and a PDF or similar that you could email to me I think we'd all be in your debt!

They had big dreams for Tribune, our Communist friends.  

I haven't seen Tribune in the shops for a while now, I don't know if it's still around.  They  probably gave up in disgust when Fairfax outflanked them on the left.

Right, now we've warmed up a bit - we'll get stuck into some detail on the Socialist Forum shortly.