Bruce and Julia have to stick together. They have no choice. They're in very deep doo doo. They need each other. They have to sing from the same hymn book for any slim hope they can survive the Royal Commission inquisition.
But while Bruce is protecting Jules, she's cast him adrift. Why?
He can hang, as long as she saves her own skin. That's how Jules operates.
The WA Corporate Affairs Commissioner rejected the first application for the incorporation of the AWU Workplace Reform Association slush fund.
Gillard was called by Wilson to have a second go to ram it through.
The only way to ram it through a second time is via an allowance in the WA Associations Incorporations Act 1987 – by an application to the State Administrative Tribunal for a review of the decision of the Commissioner.
Appeals to courts or tribunals are usually done via a lawyer – and always done in person before the member.
The lawyer was Julia Gillard.
There can be no doubt that Julia Gillard did go to Perth to apply in person to the State Administrative Tribunal
ASSOCIATIONS INCORPORATION ACT 1987 – SECT 7
(2) If the Commissioner refuses a request made under subsection (1), the person who made the request may, within 14 days of receiving notice of the refusal, apply to the State Administrative Tribunal for a review of the decision of the Commissioner.
Gillard has always said that she only gave advice in setting up the association, in trying to keep herself at arm’s length from the slush fund.
She was much more heavily involved in the establishment of the association, and Bruce Wilson has confirmed that in his evidence. After the initial rejection of the incorporation of the association, the appeal was done via a tribunal appearance.
Up until now, the general belief was that Gillard had appealed the decision of the Commissioner by a letter.
But nobody could find that letter. It’s always assumed the letter had mysteriously and conveniently gone missing.
But there never was a letter. A letter would not have succeeded in the appeal process. So Julia had to appear in person at the tribunal
And here’s where it gets really interesting.
There’s a recording and transcript of Julia’s appearance at the tribunal.
Every word of her appeal is available. Anybody can simply apply for it. But nobody until now has realised it’s all there.
The smoking gun has been under our noses the whole time. If only someone had bothered to read the ASSOCIATIONS INCORPORATION ACT 1987.
Gillard’s quick phone call yesterday to her lawyer at the Royal Commission Neil Clelland QC to deny Wilson’s evidence that Gillard flew to Perth to appeal in person at a tribunal was designed to quickly hose down any potential bloodhound who would go in search of the recording and transcript.
That transcript is the last thing Gillard wants to be found.
And you can bet the tribunal will now be inundated with requests for the tape.
