On 23 April this year Commissioner Heydon opened the Commission's 2015 proceedings, including this comment about his plans:

The Commission has shown a much greater interest in Labor Party/Trade Union links this year.   In the matters relating to Williamson, Thomson and Kathy Jackson those links are fundamental elements of the story, a "story" that turns on the events of 24 August, 2011, the day Kathy Jackson became persona non grata with the Labor Party and union movement.

On 25 August 2011 I broadcast on this editorial on 2UE 

Part two here includes comments from then PM Gillard 

On the morning of 24 August 2011 the Sydney Morning Herald published this story written by the well connected (with the Labor Party) Philip Coorey.   Here's an important excerpt, recall this was published in the paper on the morning of the planned HSU National Executive meeting - before we visited Williamson's home and before Kathy Jackson announced Thomson would be referred to police:

It is understood the decision may rest on whether the Health Services Union, of which Mr Thomson was the secretary when the alleged credit card misuse took place, is willing to assist police and provide the documents that would either implicate or exonerate Mr Thomson.

One issue detectives will consider is whether Mr Thomson is legally deemed to have acted ''dishonestly'' in his use of the union's funds.

Sources said it was highly unlikely the union would pursue charges.

The Health Services Union Secretary, Michael Williamson, and executive president, Kathy Jackson, both declined requests from the Herald yesterday to comment.

Philip's sources were Labor Party/Williamson allies within the HSU and he accurately reported what they said and what they believed - that Thomson would not be referred to police.   What Philip and the Labor Party sources didn't know was that I'd been briefed the night before (23 August 2011) about Williamson's intention to keep the Thomson matter in-house, I was shown the draft public statement to that effect (drafted by Slater and Gordon) - I saw the plans for the HSU National Executive to follow Williamson's lead and act to keep Thomson's crimes away from the gaze of the police.  

As a result of what I found out that night, our 2UE reporter and a camera crew visited Williamson's house, got him on the record and made the otherwise unreported and secret HSU meeting very, very public.   Williamson dropped his bundle, didn't attend the meeting and a very brave and conscientious Kathy Jackson was able to reverse the plan to protect Thomson - and she reported him to the police that day.

As the Royal Commission finalises its inquiries about Thomson/Williamson/Jackson I hope it starts with the events of 24 August and the days leading up to them.   Why did Williamson do so much to protect Thomson?   What influence did the parliamentary party bring to bear to keep Thomson protected from criminal charges?   Why did Williamson communicate to the parliamentary Labor party that "we're safe as houses"?   What was Graham Richardson's role in negotiating the payout to Fairfax of its costs in Thomson's defamation proceedings?   Why did the Labor Party spend so much of its money to finance Thomson's legal costs - when Thomson was accused of stealing from HSU members?   What business was it of the Labor Party in fighting against the interests of HSU members?

Kathy Jackson's public troubles started from the date she reported Thomson to police.   Any inquiry that does not inquire into and report on the events around 24 August 2011 would - in my respectful view - be incomplete.

I'll leave you with the mayhem of 24 August 2011 in the Parliament as Gillard went ballistic - here's the ABC's PM program from that afternoon.

MARK COLVIN: In what may prove a turning point in the case of the Federal Labor MP Craig Thomson, the union he used to head has called in the cops.

The executive of the Health Services Union today unanimously decided to refer allegations against Mr Thomson to the New South Wales Police.

The union says it made the decision in light of new material in recent weeks and of yesterday's decision by police to assess whether there should be a formal investigation.

The national secretary of the union Kathy Jackson says that in making the decision, the union put the interests of its members first, ahead of the Labor Party.

The decision pre-empted a spiteful debate in Parliament, with the Opposition Leader attempting to suspend standing orders to force the Prime Minister to make a statement about Mr Thomson.

The vote was lost as the Opposition didn't have the numbers and Julia Gillard responded by cutting short Question Time.

Chief political correspondent Sabra Lane.

SABRA LANE: The temperature in Parliament is almost at boiling point. 

TONY ABBOTT: Until this Prime Minister and this Government can put this grubby business behind it this Government will not be able to address any other issues. 

HARRY JENKINS: Order.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Not interested whatsoever. Just interested in slurs...

HARRY JENKINS: Order.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: ...slurs and digging dirt against members of Parliament.

SABRA LANE: First thing this morning, the Opposition failed in an attempt to force Craig Thomson to give a personal explanation to Parliament about the credit card allegations.

It also denied the Government pairing arrangements, meaning that the Opposition's Malcolm Turnbull and the Arts Minister Simon Crean missed attending the memorial service for painter Margaret Olley. 

Mr Crean was livid. He says Mr Turnbull was peeved too.

SIMON CREAN: And he too is very upset. I'm furious. He was a good friend of Margaret's. He was her local member. I mean, what sort of madness is this? And Tony Abbott denying pairs for a stunt in the Parliament that he cannot win so what is the point?

SABRA LANE: Mr Thomson's under investigation over allegations that a credit card issued in his name was used to pay prostitutes while he was the Health Services Union national secretary.

The MPs denied the claims, saying that someone forged his signature. He won't say who.

Last week Mr Thomson updated the members' register of interests to disclose the NSW Labor Party paid his legal fees for a defamation case he started then dropped against Fairfax. It's claimed the payments were made to stop him from being declared bankrupt. 

Fair Work Australia's been investigating the case for two years and earlier this week the Opposition wrote to NSW Police to ask it to examine the case.

Police say they're assessing the material to see if it warrants a formal investigation and it seems that prompted the Health Services Union to make today's decision.

Its national secretary, Kathy Jackson:

KATHY JACKSON: Although we continue to believe that Fair Work Australia is an appropriate investigative body, in these circumstances and based on the new material that has come to light in recent weeks and to remove any suggested impediment to the investigation of the NSW Police, the national executive has today resolved to refer the matter to the NSW Police and cooperate with any subsequent investigation.

SABRA LANE: Given the Government's tenuous hold on power, Ms Jackson was asked if the executive was conscious its decision could further destabilise Mr Thomson, and Labor.

KATHY JACKSON: Our first priority is the members of the Health Services Union, not to members of the Australian Labor Party.

REPORTER: Even though this might mean Tony Abbott sitting in the Lodge in a, you know, short period of time?

KATHY JACKSON: That's a matter for the Labor Party.

SABRA LANE: Predictably Craig Thomson was the focus of the first and only question in Question Time.

TONY ABBOTT: In light of the Member for Dobell's resignation as chairman of the House Economics Committee due to a NSW Police investigation, I ask the Prime Minister does the Member still have her complete confidence?

JULIA GILLARD: I've made many statements about that in this House and I stand by every one of them.

SABRA LANE: After that, the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott sought to suspend standing orders.

TONY ABBOTT: It is with considerable reluctance that I move this suspension of standing orders motion...

(jeering, laughter)

HARRY JENKINS: Order.

TONY ABBOTT: ... standing orders motion.

SABRA LANE: He wanted to force the Prime Minister to make a statement about Mr Thomson's case.

TONY ABBOTT: We have a Prime Minister in hiding on this issue. We have a Member in protection and we have a Government in paralysis. People with a reasonable explanation have nothing to fear from the facts.

SABRA LANE: Mr Thomson sat in the chamber expressionless and glassy eyed. The Opposition's manager of business, Christopher Pyne.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: The Prime Minister has spent the last week obfuscating in this House and stone-walling in this House, because we know she will do anything to avoid having to go to the people from losing the Member for Dobell.

SABRA LANE: The Government's Leader of the House, Anthony Albanese.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: What hypocrites we see from those opposite. There is no process, there is no convention, there is no tradition, there is no norm that this Leader of the Opposition will not trash. This man...

(cry of "or wreck, or wreck")

...is not a conservative. He is a reactionary who's determined, who's been determined from day one with what is the longest dummy spit in Australian political history, to trash the Parliament, to trash the institutions and to drag everything down.

SABRA LANE: Andrew Wilkie, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott sided with the Government.

HARRY JENKINS: Order. The result of the division is ayes 71, noes 73, the question is therefore negative.

SABRA LANE: And with that, the Prime Minister pulled the plug on Question Time.

JULIA GILLARD: Could I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.

(interjections)

HARRY JENKINS: Order.

SABRA LANE: The Nationals Leader Warren Truss.

WARREN TRUSS: Closing down Question Time, have we ever seen anything like it?

(cries of "no")

But have we ever seen a government anything like this one? It's a disgrace to the Australian people. It's a disgrace to the democracy of our land.