The Australian newspaper today carries this report from Pia Akerman

Wilson fights to expunge ruling

EX-UNION official Bruce Wilson will fight to overturn a court ruling that ties him to a fraud by arguing that his former sidekick should have been called to testify about his knowledge of the AWU slush fund scandal.

An affidavit lodged by Mr Wilson's lawyer in the Victorian Supreme Court shows his appeal against Chief Magistrate Peter Lauritsen's decision to allow fraud detectives to inspect hundreds of documents will hinge on whether alleged bagman Ralph Blewitt should have given direct evidence about the case, instead of his statements to police being tendered to the court.

"The Honourable Chief Magistrate ruled the Blewitt statements admissible, on the basis that calling Blewitt, who resides in Malaysia, would cause undue expense and delay," solicitor Avi Furstenberg said in his affidavit. "No evidence was lead (sic) in respect of Blewitt's unavailability ... in the absence of any such evidence, the finding was not open to be made."

Mr Lauritsen last month ruled that Victoria Police could inspect 363 documents seized under warrant from Slater & Gordon, the law firm where Mr Wilson's former partner Julia Gillard worked when she provided legal advice to help establish the Australian Workers Union Workplace Reform Association.

You can read more at The Australian.

The Chief Magistrate's finding was that there had been a fraud and the documents otherwise protected by legal professional privilege were created in the furtherance of that fraud.

It will be interesting to hear Mr Wilson argue against that.

I've just received an email from Bob Whittaker.

Bob's website is here.

His website promotes his book which you can purchase at his website.

Thank you for your service Bob, ostensibly rendered for the likes of me.

Here is the comment from 1735099 that I published on my website this morning.

One of the best aspects of living in regional Queensland is that I can't listen to the muck daily slung around by you and your pathetic excuse for a radio station.

To think that I spent time on operational service in SVN ostensibly fighting for the likes of you.

You are a professional smear merchant, making a living out of selling hate and lies to the highest bidder.

Thank Christ for the ABC......

And here is Bob's email to me just now.

Mr Smith

I refer to a comment posted on your story - http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/01/radio.html#comments

The comment posted by “Geoff U” reads as follows –

said in reply to 1735099...

1735099, if you are quoting your Army number, there is no record of your service, in SVN. Your Army number will be sent to ANZMI and your real identity established.

Reply Thursday, 09 January 2014 at 09:00 AM

This questioning of my service (I was a conscript, by the way) is deeply offensive to me and probably many Vietnam Veterans, especially those conscripted and ending up in Infantry battalions as I did. It continues the disgraceful treatment of veterans of Vietnam, over forty years after the event.

To be threatened by a referral to an agency which exposes military fraud because this person disagrees with my comment is cowardly and hateful behaviour. Perhaps you could consider the quality of the individuals attracted to your site.

By the way, I post using my regimental number (which I reckon I have the right to use as I please given I didn’t ask for it and it was assigned to me by the then Coalition government).

My service can be verified quickly using the Nominal Roll -http://www.vietnamroll.gov.au/VeteranSearch.aspx

I am politely requesting –

1. Remove the offending comment.
2. Issue a brief apology for allowing it to be posted

Thank you

Bob Whittaker

Ex - 5 Platoon B Company 7RAR SVN 1970

These are the T-Shirts that could have brought about the Balkanisation of Australia.    

The tweeting of a brave few - whose names we will probably never know - have stopped Aldi and its evil plans.

Thanks be to Allah, Gaia, the Dreaming Snake and the ABC's subsidised cafeteria.

Racist Australian Rednecks who still want to risk outrage on Twitter and The Project can buy the same Tshirts from AustralianChoice.com.au because it supports the non-divisive Ngurra Jirrama Foundation.

During the meanwhilst dreaming, some of us remember...............

The AWU Scandal's frauds took place from 1991 to 1996.   The cover-up was put in place until 2002 and then actively enforced with sticks and carrots, files that disappeared, threats to media outlets parliamentary questions and lies.

It's no surprise then that the story is difficult to tell, complex, detail-rich and eye-glazingly unwelcome for many people.

The Australian newspaper has met the challenge of reporting what is difficult but important.

Here's page 5 of today's The Australian, you can read the story online.

Yesterday radio proved itself as a perfect medium for simple unadorned truth.

2 years and 4 months ago I promised Bob Kernohan I would help him tell his story about The AWU Scandal on the radio.

After 2 years and 4 months, 17 million hits on michaelsmithnews, 150,000 comments, 4,300 published stories and with a much greater depth of understanding about The AWU Scandal, yesterday Bob and I closed the deal.  Last night my wife, Bob and I quietly celebrated with a meal together.

Thank you to the management of 2GB.  Just on 1 in every 5 cars in Sydney has Alan Jones on the radio in the morning.   As other media outlets make editorial decisions about what Australians value, they'd do well to look at 2GB's loyal and engaged listeners as a guide.

Now onwards!   Much remains to be done and I'll be doing my best on behalf of Chris Smith and Ben Fordham to live up to 2GB's finest traditions on the radio later today.

Michael

http://www.2gb.com/article/afternoons-michael-smith-full-show-7th-january-2014