Graham has again avoided entirely any comparison with the much more significant, more recent and more damning events in which the Opposition and those institutions supporting the Opposition find themselves - the matter of James Ashby Vs former National and former Liberal, Peter Slipper and the Leader of the Opposition's involvement in setting up and operating an even more secret slush fund whose purpose was to see Pauline Hanson's political party fail and herself jailed, although subsequently both were quashed. These issues speak eloquently for the ethics and judgement of the man and his associates.

To point a finger at the PM, as this author has, about ancient history while ignoring the present and continuing rotten stench coming from the left of the Speaker's chair is extremely unbalanced and speaks volumes on the subject of whether, as Lord Levinson said in Melbourne recently and in relation to on-line scribblers "...they would start to lose their authoritative voice; if they lost that voice they would simply be one more online purveyor of gossip with the attendant loss of influence which that would entail."

This article has done nothing to enhance the reputation and influence of either the author or of OLO.

Abbott's only agenda is to bring down a govt; by fair means or foul.
Slipper, Thomson, Gillard.
I can't believe the AU people can be stupid enough to fall for the tactics of a kangaroo court.
Thomson, slipper, Gillard have been charged with nothing.
It's all innuendo, and trash politics.
All of this and not one policy from Abbott and his team of pit-bulls.

http://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2012/2012fca1411

The above is the full judgement in the Ashby-Slipper case. It's definitely worth taking the time to peruse.

Questions over Gillard's so-called lack of integrity pale in comparison to the shenanigans outlined in the judgment.

I think that one of the reasons so many people are somewhat ambivalent is that the entire issue is so very complicated. Clearly the mechanisms used by Wilson and his co-accomplices were meant to deceive , so unraveling all that 20 years down the track is a forensic task. But if you read the evidence from Smith and Thomas carefully, it is almost impossible to conclude other than that there was deliberate fraud aplenty. There may not yet be a 'smoking gun' but the acrid odor of gunpowder abounds.

The only question is who exactly were the criminals and who were the victims. Indeed the WA police concluded that a fraud had been perpetrated but they couldn't find a victim willing to lodge a complaint.

We are safe in saying that Wilson and Blewitt were implicated since they've virtually owned up. But whether Gillard was duped or was an active participant is unclear. It would be nice to think that, if she did get a new bathroom and the odd $5k gift, that there would be some consequences but that's not the main game.

What I find to be of more immediate concern is how the events from those times affect us now. We have people who were trying to get at the truth then now placed in positions of power and, if not silenced, at least silent. We have journalists sacked for seeking the truth. How much did all that occurred back then affect the reactions to the HSU issue and how much were the attempts to protect Williamson/ Thompson consequent on who knew what about the AWU scandal? Given that so many players in the AWU issue were also players and/or beneficiaries in the overthrow of Rudd, what if any, were the links between the two?

cont.....

cont....

I think its inevitable that the Libs, if elected next year, will set up a Royal Commission into the AWU/HSU/et al corruption. If there is to be a double dissolution election in 2014 then the Libs would love to see the papers full of the latest revelation from such an inquiry. So its my estimation that something close to the whole truth will come out at some point over the next few years.

But the most annoying aspect to this whole episode is the simple hypocrisy of those involved. Indisputably, union funds were lost or stolen. Funeral funds were lost or stolen. Yet these people who piously tell us that their entire raison d'etre is the welfare of the working man and union members, are actively opposed to tracking down those funds or identifying the perpetrators.

So as usual the Libs will have to do their dirty work for them.Watch this space.

'Questions over Gillard's so-called lack of integrity pale in comparison to the shenanigans outlined in the judgment '

Please Poirot take your glasses off just for a moment. Don't mix up legal jargon with obvious character flaws.