Tonight may be Maria Butera and Lisa Zanatta's last night at home for a while.
Tomorrow morning at 10.30AM the women will face a Judge in Melbourne's County Court for sentencing after lying to the Trade Union Royal Commission.
There's no excuse for what they did. They knew it was wrong to follow CEO David Atkin's instructions to leak confidential member information to Brian Parker. They knew it was wrong to lie to the Royal Commission to cover up for Atkin and Parker.
Tomorrow Lisa and Maria will learn the price they'll pay for doing the bidding of a corrupt "gutless prick" in a suit, a bent professional prepared to enable the CFMEU's organised crime.
I wish Ms Butera and Ms Zanatta well for their futures. They've wholly admitted what they did. They've assisted authorities. They weren't motivated by the prospect of personal gain, they didn't steal corporate information for profit, they did what they did at Parker and Atkin's behest and they told lies to cover it to protect Parker and Atkin.
If they're half the women I think they are they'll be free of the stench of their involvement in the CFMEU's corruption tomorrow. And I would expect the more senior of the two who reported directly to Atkin will cooperate with ASIC in the same way she cooperated with the TURC as ASIC investigates Atkin over this and other scandals at CBUS.
Ms Butera and Ms Zanatta get the chance to have that bit of their souls which were sold to the CFMEU handed back to them. Meanwhile for Parker, Atkin and their mates in the movement, the grubby, sleazy world of sordid deals and twisted priorities rolls on.
ASIC is knocking on Atkin's door now, not that an investigation by the regulator means anything to Atkin's chair and Labor fellow-traveller Steve Bracks - here he's talking to the Financial Review:
The CBUS board said it was "bemused" by the (TURC) commission's recommendation Mr Atkin face further investigation by the securities regulator and rejected criticisms the fund's union-influenced culture carried risks for members.
"The board remains satisfied with the evidence that Mr Atkin had no involvement, nor knowledge, of the actions of the two former employees and their alleged breach of the Corporation's Act," Mr Bracks said.
It follows disclosure that two CBUS executives – Maria Butera and Lisa Zanatta – were involved in supplying spreadsheets to the CFMEU containing confidential information about the employees of two companies.
A union official used the information to contact some of the employees with the intention of making them disgruntled with their employees, according to the commission.
The commission described the leak as a breach of privacy, trust, contractual duties and was a "completely inappropriate use of power" by the union.
But CBUS claims it is "very frustrated and disappointed" that Mr Aitkin was "lumped in with people facing more serious matters".
I'd imagine Ms Butera and Ms Zanatta feel "very frustrated and disappointed" that they too were "lumped in with people facing more serious matters" by working for ATKIN. The fact that BRACKS is prepared to back a man like David Atkin tells us a lot about the scale of the corruption problem Australia faces.
I hope Lisa and Maria grab this chance to make a clean break. Pay the price and close the door on that episode. You're already much better people than your unspeakable former boss Atkin will ever be. Welcome back to society.
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Bit players in the CBUS/CFMEU superannuation corruption scandal to be sentenced tomorrow
Tonight may be Maria Butera and Lisa Zanatta's last night at home for a while.
Tomorrow morning at 10.30AM the women will face a Judge in Melbourne's County Court for sentencing after lying to the Trade Union Royal Commission.
There's no excuse for what they did. They knew it was wrong to follow CEO David Atkin's instructions to leak confidential member information to Brian Parker. They knew it was wrong to lie to the Royal Commission to cover up for Atkin and Parker.
Tomorrow Lisa and Maria will learn the price they'll pay for doing the bidding of a corrupt "gutless prick" in a suit, a bent professional prepared to enable the CFMEU's organised crime.
I wish Ms Butera and Ms Zanatta well for their futures. They've wholly admitted what they did. They've assisted authorities. They weren't motivated by the prospect of personal gain, they didn't steal corporate information for profit, they did what they did at Parker and Atkin's behest and they told lies to cover it to protect Parker and Atkin.
If they're half the women I think they are they'll be free of the stench of their involvement in the CFMEU's corruption tomorrow. And I would expect the more senior of the two who reported directly to Atkin will cooperate with ASIC in the same way she cooperated with the TURC as ASIC investigates Atkin over this and other scandals at CBUS.
Ms Butera and Ms Zanatta get the chance to have that bit of their souls which were sold to the CFMEU handed back to them. Meanwhile for Parker, Atkin and their mates in the movement, the grubby, sleazy world of sordid deals and twisted priorities rolls on.
ASIC is knocking on Atkin's door now, not that an investigation by the regulator means anything to Atkin's chair and Labor fellow-traveller Steve Bracks - here he's talking to the Financial Review:
The CBUS board said it was "bemused" by the (TURC) commission's recommendation Mr Atkin face further investigation by the securities regulator and rejected criticisms the fund's union-influenced culture carried risks for members.
"The board remains satisfied with the evidence that Mr Atkin had no involvement, nor knowledge, of the actions of the two former employees and their alleged breach of the Corporation's Act," Mr Bracks said.
It follows disclosure that two CBUS executives – Maria Butera and Lisa Zanatta – were involved in supplying spreadsheets to the CFMEU containing confidential information about the employees of two companies.
A union official used the information to contact some of the employees with the intention of making them disgruntled with their employees, according to the commission.
The commission described the leak as a breach of privacy, trust, contractual duties and was a "completely inappropriate use of power" by the union.
But CBUS claims it is "very frustrated and disappointed" that Mr Aitkin was "lumped in with people facing more serious matters".
I'd imagine Ms Butera and Ms Zanatta feel "very frustrated and disappointed" that they too were "lumped in with people facing more serious matters" by working for ATKIN. The fact that BRACKS is prepared to back a man like David Atkin tells us a lot about the scale of the corruption problem Australia faces.
I hope Lisa and Maria grab this chance to make a clean break. Pay the price and close the door on that episode. You're already much better people than your unspeakable former boss Atkin will ever be. Welcome back to society.