Michael Smith News

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July 2023

The ABC’s spineless head of News Justin Stevens a joke in the ranks.

Friday, 28 July 2023

Hipster “feelings guy” Justin Stevens was appointed to reform the ABC’s struggling News division.

It’s just got worse.

ABC TV News ratings are at an all-time low.

ABC Radio News has been decimated.

Stevens made the ABC’s political editor redundant… ie, they don’t need someone in charge of that any more.

What he has done is diversity … not of ideology, but rather, skin colour.

The ABC is a diversity hit machine.

Stevens achieves nothing where it really counts but he loves a policy document.

Here’s the latest, of course leaked to this website by staff who think he’s a goon.

“Inclusive Team Planning” (PDF)

ABC Inclusiveness Team Planning Wankfest by Michael Smith on Scribd

The news is still shit.

Any good staff are poached by the commercial sector.

The bias still hasn’t been addressed.

Louise Milligan is still holding court.

Posted at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)

Global boiling.

Friday, 28 July 2023

Clown.

'The era of global warming has ended. The era of global boiling has arrived'

UN Secretary General António Guterres warns of 'unbreathable' air and 'unbearable' temperatures to come.https://t.co/XO2D0c5uIb

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/dhJGEC0YoD
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 27, 2023

Posted at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (63)

Mitch isn't well.

Thursday, 27 July 2023

Odd moment: McConnell freezes at start of Senate GOP leadership press conference and is escorted to the side by his colleagues pic.twitter.com/hT5bLnstOS
— Raquel Martin (@RaquelMartinTV) July 26, 2023

Posted at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (42)

The former Mr Julia Gillard Tim Mathieson to plead guilty to sex assault charge

Thursday, 27 July 2023

Quality.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-27/tim-mathieson-julia-gillard-partner-court-sexual-assault-charge/102654276

Lawyers for Tim Mathieson, the ex-partner of former prime minister Julia Gillard, say he will plead guilty to a charge of sexual assault.

Mr Mathieson, whose name was listed as Raymond Timothy Mathieson, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court this morning for a mention hearing.

Mr Mathieson is being prosecuted by Victoria Police's sexual offences and child abuse investigation team (SOCIT).

Magistrate Roslyn Porter confirmed Mr Mathieson is facing a charge of sexual assault. Details of two other charges — which will be dropped by prosecutors — are yet to be released.

"I do confirm that only the one charge of sexual assault is proceeding, and the two other charges have been struck out today by the court," Magistrate Porter said.

Further details of the charges were not aired in court.

Mr Mathieson's lawyer Brad Penno said he would be applying to have two of the charges withdrawn, in exchange for Mr Mathieson pleading guilty to one sexual assault charge.

He made a further request for Mr Mathieson to be granted a diversion order, which would enable him to avoid a criminal record.

Police will now consider that request after speaking with the victim, but a magistrate will have the final say.

The case was adjourned until August 31.

Mr Mathieson did not attend the hearing in-person, instead viewing proceedings from his lawyer's office 200 metres away from the Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

Dressed in a suit and tie, he sat at the back of the room and was not required to speak during the hearing.

The professional hairdresser was previously in a long-term relationship with Ms Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister.

It was reported the couple split in recent years.

Posted at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (81)

Vale Sinéad O'Connor.

Thursday, 27 July 2023

Posted at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)

Inner-suburban leftist met a real Aboriginal person and had a photo taken.

Wednesday, 26 July 2023

Posted at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (84)

Chris Minns .. by 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty

Wednesday, 26 July 2023

Don’t you love governments that congratulate themselves for addressing problems they’ve had a had in causing.

Vain NSW Premier Chris Minns:

Firstly - you’ve delivered nothing : taxpayers have done the heavy lifting. Every cent.

Secondly - why are kids going hungry? Government had any hand in it?

Rising power bills, rising council rates, extraordinary costs of building approvals lifting housing costs, taxes, interest rates …

The list goes on.

Labor’s Chris Minns is becoming a parody of what he once was.

Posted at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (64)

The ACT appoints first female Aboriginal Supreme Court judge …

Wednesday, 26 July 2023

Kamilaroi woman Louise Taylor is the ACT's sixth judge of the Supreme Court.

ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said, "Magistrate Taylor brings to the Supreme Court a wealth of knowledge and expertise, having represented the most vulnerable members of our community in complex matters,"

"Having served on the ACT Magistrates Court since 2018, Magistrate Taylor has spent the past five years exhibiting her proficiency in both civil and criminal law matters, displaying a commitment to fairness, impartiality, and open-mindedness.

"Her background as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ACT Legal Aid, together with her roles with the ACT and Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, further accentuate her exceptional expertise and knowledge of the legal system.

"As a proud Kamilaroi woman, her appointment also marks a significant and important milestone - it is the first time in the Supreme Court's history that a Aboriginal woman will hold such a prestigious position in the ACT."

Posted at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (126)

Profound investment Andrews-style

Tuesday, 25 July 2023

Thank you Rosita for the tip!

Posted at 06:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (68)

Sydney University to dish out scholarships to foreigners

Monday, 24 July 2023

Your tax dollars at work.

You’ll be happy to know that the University of Sydney has just been granted permission to provide exclusive financial scholarships to students from the following countries:

Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan
Turkmenistan
Tajikistan
Azerbaijan
Kyrgyzstan
China
India
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Sri-Lanka
Nepal
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
Myanmar
Lebanon
Mexico
South Korea
Cambodia
Mongolia
Taiwan
Turkey

The scholarships will cover the costs of tuition fees.

All of this approved by the Anti-Discrimination Commission.

Why does the Anti-Discrimination Commission and the University allow such a discriminatory benefit against the people who pay their salaries?

Posted at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (62)

DATE	EVENT/DOCUMENT
1990	Julia Gillard becomes a Partner at Slater and Gordon and is in the Industrial Relations Department of law firm
20-08-91	Letter to Bruce Wilson from Julia Gillard concerning a vacancy at the AWU
1-05-91	Julia Gillard brought her property at 36 Phillip Street, Abbotsford Vic property settled in July and she borrowed $40,000 from Slater & Gordon for the deposit and the rest from Westpac bank
6-03-92	Advertisement appeared in the paper for Incorporating the Workplace Reform Association - Theiss may have used it for reference

17-03-92	Locals concerned the Accident and Death Fund was being used to buy property and office equipment with the funds they paid into the fund.
18-03-92	Boulder fund suspended
15-05-92	Bruce Wilson and Julia Gillard go to a meeting with the miners in Kalgoorlie
18-05-92	AWU announce it is taking over the fund at Boulder paper article
13-02-93	Contract of sale signed by Bruce Wilson
13-02-93	Purchase of 85 Kerr Street Fitzroy by Julia Gillard and B Wilson who attended the Auction
13-02-93	blewitt-getting-his-addres.html Purchase of 85 Kerr Street Fitzroy by Julia Gillard and Bruce Wilson who attended the Auction
15-02-93	Letter to Slater & Gordon about the 1/85 Kerr Street sale
15-02-93	Ralph Blewitt is appointed Western Australian Branch Secretary in the week 15 to 19 February
16-02-93	Olive Brosnan and Heidi chasing up the Power of Attorney - notes
17-02-93	Olive Brosnan makes this further note regarding Heidi, a sales person with the Real Estate firm GA Thomson. Note that Heidi returns the call and says that she will let Olive Brosnan have the original Power of Attorney (when she gets it?) and will need a certified copy in return
22-02-93	Slater and Gordon acknowledges that it has received the Contract of Sale, Section 32 Statement and the Power of Attorney from GA Thomson.
23-02-93	Olive Brosnan certifies Power of Attorney
3-03-93	A memo from Sylvia to Olive Brosnan about the application for the loan for Ralph Blewitt and the Kerr Street property
4-03-93	Letter/fax from Hewitt & Company stating Ralph Blewitt Wages Ref VB/CS
9-03-93	Memo to Olive Brosnan from Sylvia about the loan approval and the return of the chq for $500 from Ralph Blewitt’s personal account
10-03-93	Letter from Slater & Gordon addressed to Ralph Blewitt explaining mortgage details Page 1, Page 2, Page 3
10-03-93	Memo Julia Gillard wants details of penalty interest rates
12-03-93	Memo to Julia Gillard from Olive Brosnan about penalty interest rates
17-03-93	Memo of fees for house - Bill of costs
18-03-93	Letter to Ralph Blewitt requesting Cheque for $67,772.30
18-03-93	The cheque for $67,772.30
22-03-93	Settlement date for Kerr Street purchase
23-03-93	Land Transfer document
31-03-94	Dawesville project costs
Aug-Sept 94	Julia Gillard went on holidays while Bruce Wilson organised house renovations
Aug-Sept 94	Interview with Slater & Gordon about the Renovations
6-02-95	New bank accounts for Construction Fund
17-02-95	AWU-FIME amalgamate (2 Victorian Branches)
12-04-95	Cheque from AWU WRAI account $46,550
27-04-95	Cheque for $15000 - $10 000 for K Spyridis and $5000 cash
30-06-95	AWU went back to central funding arrangements
25-07-95	Letter from Robert Smith (AWU) to Ian Cambridge and Steve Harrison about the unknown AWU bank accounts
27-07-95	Letter to the National Executives about the freezing of the accounts
2-08-95	Union National Finance committee meet to discuss what was going on start of investigations into the frozen accounts
4-08-95	Bob Smith wrote to Ian Cambridge to say the AWU was going to charge Bruce Wilson
10-08-95	Ian Cambridge visits QC Richard Kenzie from Maurice Blackburn for discussions to fix it (get union money back)
14-08-95	Internal Review into Julia Gillard’s involvement of the AWU -WRA and she is put on restricted duties
14/15 Aug 95	Other Joint secretaries of the Unions paid out the signatories of the accounts - hand writing on the cheques Link 1 Link 2
16-08-95	Bruce Wilson redundancy cheque $55,204
17-08-95	Letter to stop the cheques Ian Cambridge
17/18 Aug 95	All accounts were closed bar 2 general and grants accounts and redundancies given out
18-08-95	Affidavit - Bill Ludwig - Bruce Wilson get sprung
11-09-95	Julia Gillard interviewed by Geoff Shaw, Peter Gordon and Nick Styant-Browne at Slater and Gordon - It’s recorded and she goes on leave of Absence until May 96 (WA AWU-WRA not yet discovered by AWU yet)
31-01-96	Ian Cambridge addresses AWU Qld Branch meeting
3-04-96	Ian Cambridge talked with Commonwealth Bank - Diary entry - Discovery of Workplace Reform Association INC. WA branch
6-05-96	Discovery of Accounts in AWU name by Ian Cambridge letter from Commonwealth Bank
7-05-96	Fax from Com bank listing the accounts in the AWU name - for Ian Cambridge
1-06-96	Newspaper article about Joe Trio and the AWU fraud article from sometime in 1996
3-06-96	Ian Cambridge received bank records after the discussions with the bank back in April Ian Cambridge spoke to AWU Officials in Perth and they never heard of the Workplace Reform Association Inc.
5-07-96	Diary entry Ian Cambridge - spoke to Branch Official Russell Frearson about the $400,000 going through the account
31-07-96	Geoff Shaw Slater & Gordon General Manager gets Subpoena to supply all documents relating to purchase of 1/85 Kerr Street
13-08-96	Court proceeding where Geoff Shaw is to produce the documents from the Subpeona Link 1, Link 2
6-01-97	Memo from Investigating Detective Dave McAlpine about the AWU fraud
6-02-97	Memo to fraud squad from Theiss stating they hadn’t been defrauded Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4
17-02-98	Memo fraud squad about Theiss - Ralph Blewitt said Theiss auditors required that the WRA needed to be Inc.