What’s the story with Kathy Jackson?
In June 2015, the Health Services Union (HSU) sued Kathy Jackson over allegations she spent $660,000 of members’ funds on personal expenses while national secretary.
Before the trial, the HSU sought an injunction freezing Ms Jackson’s assets and blocking the sale of her $1.3 million NSW property to her partner, vice president of the Fair Work Commission Michael Lawler.
Ms Jackson’s lawyer said blocking the transfer of the property would be a devastating blow to her client that would prevent her from being able to pay her legal bills, school fees and daily living expenses even though, under the proposed injunction, she would be allowed $2,000 a week.
Lawler told the court that he had no assets and was financially strained despite earning $435,000 a year.
A couple of weeks later, just prior to her trial, Jackson declared bankruptcy despite having recently filed an affidavit declaring net assets of $278,683 including her Wombarra property (valued at $1.3 million), a 2005 model Mercedes (valued at $15,000), bank accounts containing less than $2,000 and an engagement ring worth $20,000.
In August 2015, the court found she had misappropriated the union’s money and ordered her to pay the Health Services Union about $1.4m though I doubt any of that has been paid or is likely to be.
More than two years later, Jackson was committed to stand criminal trial facing a total of 147 charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception, 18 counts of theft and one charge of obtaining property by deception. She pled not guilty.
There have been several court appearances since then which have all been adjourned with Jackson remaining on bail whilst she seeks Legal Aid funding which has so far been denied.
Legal Aid has opposed the application, stating her defacto partner Mr Lawler has sufficient equity in his house that he could access to meet the costs.
“She should rely on that rather than publicly-funded social security,” Legal Aid barrister Angel Aleksov argued.
But Jackson said her partner should not be compelled to sell his house.
“I have no money. I am a bankrupt. I have no assets apart from my car, which is probably worth a couple of thousand dollars,” she said.
“I want to make clear that Mr Lawler and I are separate human beings. He will not sell his house.”
So to sum up, Kathy gives Michael her house so she can fund her legal costs, but then wants the government to fund her because she is bankrupt and her de facto partner’s assets (which used to be hers) shouldn’t count.
Ms Jackson was due to appear again on April 29th this year. I can find no record of that appearance having gone ahead.
It seems that, until we promise to pay all Kathy’s bills, she just won’t bother turning up and will continue to spend any money they might have.
Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne described Jackson as ‘decent, brave and revolutionary’.
I can think of better descriptions.
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25 comments
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Wat Tyler
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Beverley Rawson
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Alpo
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David1
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Zathras
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Kaye Lee
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Terence Mills
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Alcibiades
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Wat Tyler
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Adrianne Haddow
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James Cook
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RomeoCharlie29
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Lambert Simnel
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Perkin Warbeck
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Lambert Simnel
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Jack Cade
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Keitha Granville
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Peter Tansey
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Pete Petrass
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Terence Mills
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Lambert Simnel
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wam
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Jack Cade
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Hefina
Return to home pageJust one of a huge line of SUM-SCAMMERS, not only applauded by the LIBERALS, but supported by them. SICK ‘EM REX!!
I am surprised she didn’t get pre-selection for a safe Liberal seat. She meets all the criteria necessary for the L-NP front bench.
I am so angry that this case cant be settled
The systemic misappropriation by William and Jackson was never dealt with correctly, as a deal was done with Williams
Australian laws need tightening and brought up today’s standards and the finding of the Royal Commission
And because of the ongoing court legalities, nothing can be said by whistleblowers and Union about Jackson’s misappropriated of $660,000 of the Health Services Union (HSU) members funds
Something is wrong with the legal system if it can protect a criminal such as Kathy Jackson…..!!
I think that some kind of Nuclear Legal Option (whatever that might be) should be switched on against Jackson once and for all… this idiot has wasted enough of our money and time already… Time for her to head for jail!
What the hell is happening here with this criminal? The legal system is a joke.
Abbott used Jackson in the hope of getting rid of Craig Thomson and thereby taking government from Julia Gillard and Jackson in turn probably believed that her new conservative allies would protect her from the inevitable charges she knew would eventually catch up with her. Buddying up with the likes of Peter Reith and giving talks at the HR Nicholls society didn’t help either.
However, like they did with James Ashby after the Peter Slipper affair didn’t work out she was of no further use so they simply dumped her and walked away.
This is what happens when crooks fall out.
The interesting part in all this was the way the media (even the ABC) deliberately looked the other way when physical evidence of her wrongdoing was presented to them by various parties because they were more apparently interested in scandalising Thomson and aiding the Abbott coup.
These two are beyond the pale.
When Michaelia Cash ordered an investigation into why Lawler took nine months sick leave on full pay to help Jackson with her legal case, he launched court action against her.
Mr Lawler quit his position in March, less than 24 hours before he was due to respond to the investigation’s findings and a fortnight before Senator Cash tabled it in Parliament.
Court documents showed Mr Lawler was calling for a judicial review into the decision to launch the investigation, the conduct of Senator Cash during the course of the investigation, and the decision to table the final report despite Mr Lawler having already resigned from his position.
Mr Lawler filed the short-lived Federal Court application for judicial review on September 15, 2016, alleging Senator Cash had unfairly caused “serious damage” to his reputation when she tabled an investigation into his conduct in parliament.
He had sought declarations that Senator Cash had denied him procedural fairness and an injunction restraining her from making further decisions affecting him.
The Heerey report ultimately found Mr Lawler’s conduct on ABC’s Four Corners program and his failure to disclose his relationship with former Health Services Union leader Kathy Jackson would have been grounds for parliament to consider sacking him for misconduct.
Documents showed he argued his mental health condition had left him incapable of producing an adequate response to the investigation.
He withdrew it ten days later with each party bearing its own costs.
Having lived in various parts of Asia I have seen corruption in the legal system up close but I have always maintained that the Australian system is free of corruption and is fundamentally honest having the necessary checks and balances to avoid interference particularly political.
I too have watched in amazement as Jackson and her lawyer partner have sidestepped and frustrated first the civil law and now the criminal law and in the meantime so managed their affairs that Jackson has no assets with which to settle the civil case and the damages awarded against her.
Now they are thumbing their noses at the criminal justice system using publicly funded legal aid as their delaying tactic.
I have no doubt that ultimately she will be dragged into the dock and based on the outcome of the civil case she will undoubtedly be convicted but in the interim we must still call the charges ‘allegations’ and consider her innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt .
The one saving grace is that the courts take a dim view of people who overtly seek to pervert the justice system and this will be reflected in the ultimate sentence.
Terence,
Fully concur. Lawlers ‘clever’ advice & informed legal maneuvering can only delay an inevitable accounting, not avoid it. And said maneuvering will not be looked upon kindly from the Bench, not at all, therefore reflected in ultimate sentencing, compounded.
See: Current reckoning imminiently approaching, including her non-partner partner too, Belle Gibson..
Terence.
The Australian system has NEVER been free of corruption. Both major parties have been guilty.
If I were a dictator in Australia (a benign one – at least to begin with) I would prorogue parliament and declared all retirement benefits null and void. Retrospectively.
Then I would require them ALL to voluntarily accept normal retirement conditions, giving them 14 days to accept.
If they did not accept within 14 days I would require them to apply for Newstart allowance.
All of them.
Strange how these two grifters manage to evade justice. Now, grifting the justice system. Successfully, it seems.
If Jackson was an environmental protester, or an Indigenous Australian, her day in court would have come and gone, sentence passed.
Does the lack of press scrutiny apply because the case has yet to be heard, if ever?
If you read Peter Wick’s site, “Wixxyleaks”, you’ll find all the sordid details and history of Jackson’s adventures. She’s a manipulative, scheming liar extraordinaire. How she has gotten away with it still amazes and shits me. I find it hard to believe there is not some legal corruption involved.
Given the persecution of Craig Thompson for what turned out to be little result but ruined his life, it is appalling to see these two people flouting the system with apparent impunity. That they have been able to frustrate and delay the legal action for so long makes one wonder at the government’s handling of the matter, running a protection racket?
Anyway Kaye Lee well done for keeping us AIMNers informed.
It is a cultural thing. Jackson and the child woman who did the cancer scam, what example did they ever receive from the people w ho really run things?
The ultra rich set the example and these peasants feel they have to diddle also to collect some crumbs off the rich mans table.
Welcome to the fifteenth century.
The examples cited by some contributors just highlight the fact that the likes of Abbott and his party use and abuse people for their own ends. But they secretly admire them, in the same way that the inmates of Australian prisons vote overwhelmingly for the Liberal Party. It’s because they admire criminals who get away with it
And while we are on the subject of scabs:
https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/federal-election-2019-kerrianne-kennerleys-huge-call-bill-shorten-will-end-life-as-we-know-it/news-story/86508c8610f70bdad6b596b179b76ac7?fbclid=IwAR36nL7Q0ATNHU1nNA1DOrk7Wxds7mvIhXDyDymIYmVWfjK2QQuy4KTNHlA
Life as we know it ends every day…
I find it astounding that some people seem to be able to have the court bow to their every whim. Never happens for your regular common or garden criminal.
She has had long enough, put up and be judged. Ina couple of days hopefully she will no longer have ANY friends in higher places.
I think KAK means hers and others of her ilk’s life of luxury as she knows it will end
There was also a thing with these two and David Rofe QC, with Jackson landing herself $3 million from his $30 million estate.
https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/jackson-lawler-and-david-rofes-fortune,7434
There are dozens more articles also done by Peter Wicks on that site.
Lambert S
This must be the Liberal party calling in favours and hoping that it will get social media flapping when the advertising ban comes into play : KAK isn’t even in possession of the facts and that makes her a very dangerous loose cannon.
Jack Cade, I think for some it never began in the way we would understand it.
Terence, I am sure you feel about Nine Jones and Murdoch the same as me.
As thompson, slipper and dastyari learned, kaye, nothing happens without pursuit.
The rabbott is a master chaser with no requirement for honesty and a ruthless destroyer .The media love him for it.
Gillard crashed the rabbott once with a viral effect but, sadly, no follow up because labor’s idealism is not interested in using the media QED. So the phoenix rose and he may still hang on despite get up.
Consequently in the absence of active chasing the RORTING asset shifting union witch will slide away Michaelia?????.
We can hope, as happened in the NT her de facto pisses her off and keeps her house.
Good one Wat?
Never let a party that has governed for all of the 50s 60s and much of the last 5 decades enter your thoughts. They are like the Aborigines in Victoria, pre the arrival of the shiny black Africans, invisible..
Pete Patrass
They clearly drew inspiration from the appalling Mirabela, who pulled a similar stunt with a former QC with whom she was in a relationship.
The Liberal Party is irresistible to such people.
Independent Australia has been following this criminal for years ,She would have served her sentence by now, instead she has been avoiding the courts ,playing Cat and mouse she is as guilty as hell.
Tony Abbott and the rest of them ,herself hadCraig Thomson lose his job and Slipper too the same.
The sooner this case is Sorted the better.