A police raid on the Health Services Union’s Sydney office could spell the end for officials at the centre of financial impropriety allegations.
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The central Sydney headquarters of the union’s East Branch was targeted by up to 10 fraud squad officers from the NSW police strike force Carnarvon about 9am (AEST) on Wednesday.
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The dramatic events in Sydney dovetailed into the political arena with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott saying the HSU was a “stinking, putrid mess”.
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Just two months ago, Strike Force Carnarvon officers searched the Sydney northern beaches home of graphic designer John Gilleland, who allegedly provided credit cards to Mr Thomson and Mr Williamson.
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Meanwhile, the Federal Court in Sydney will on Thursday hear a motion by Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten and six HSU branches to wind-up the HSU East branch controlled by Mr Williamson.
See the full article from “SBS”
SACHA Baron Cohen’s Dictator was on Nine’s Today couch this morning, poking fun at the presenters and doing his best to promote his new film.
Dictator asks for ‘Slippery Pete’ The Dictator, played by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, has demanded the phone number of ‘Slippery Pete’ after arriving in Sydney today.
Yesterday he was looking for Slippery Pete; today he was offering leadership tips to Australia’s politicians. Here are the best ones:
1. Julia Gillard should get a sex change – to a woman
2. She should surround herself with female virgins.
3. The cardinal rule of sexual harassment is: don’t abuse boys, they talk; women – they just cry.
4. Only pay prostitutes with cash. It may be tempting to use a government credit card to get the air-miles but it only leaves a paper trail.
See the full article from “Adelaide Now”
A police raid on the Health Services Union’s Sydney office could spell the end for officials at the centre of financial impropriety allegations.
…
The central Sydney headquarters of the union’s East Branch was targeted by up to 10 fraud squad officers from the NSW police strike force Carnarvon about 9am (AEST) on Wednesday.
…
The dramatic events in Sydney dovetailed into the political arena with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott saying the HSU was a “stinking, putrid mess”.
…
Just two months ago, Strike Force Carnarvon officers searched the Sydney northern beaches home of graphic designer John Gilleland, who allegedly provided credit cards to Mr Thomson and Mr Williamson.
…
Meanwhile, the Federal Court in Sydney will on Thursday hear a motion by Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten and six HSU branches to wind-up the HSU East branch controlled by Mr Williamson.
See the full article from “SBS”
A DERELICT hotel in Double Bay is now being investigated by the state’s liquor watchdog amid claims of prostitution, unlicensed alcohol sales and wild parties despite the hotel not being officially open.
Hospitality Minister George Souris said he had directed the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing to “re-double its investigation” into the former Stamford Plaza.
A police investigation is already under way after allegations of on-site prostitution, illegal dance parties and unauthorised operation of the hotel were made in early April.
The old Stamford Plaza was put on the market three years ago for $110 million and still holds a dormant hotel licence. This means all liquor and responsible service laws apply and police can take action over any breaches.
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Double Bay Partnership chairman Lesli Berger said the allegations of prostitution, unlicensed alcohol sales and wild parties at Stamford Plaza was the last thing the suburb needed, after it was steadily rebuilding its reputation.
Union boss Michael Williamson has allegedly been stopped in a car park with a bag of documents during a police raid on the Sydney offices of the Health Services Union (HSU).
About 10 officers from the NSW Fraud and Cybercrime Squad stormed the second level of an office block in Pitt Street, in Sydney’s CBD, about 9am (AEST) on Wednesday and seized documents and accessed computers.
The raid was carried by Strike Force Carnarvon, which was set up in September to investigate allegations of systemic corruption in the HSU, including alleged misuse of credit cards by Mr Williamson and former HSU official and now federal MP Craig Thomson.
During the operation, they intercepted Mr Williamson, the general secretary of HSU East Branch, in a car park in an adjacent building.
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“It is something that the Australian public understand is rank,” Mr Abbott told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
Canberra—Prime Minister Julia Gillard Monday vowed to lead Labor to the next Australian election, as a poll showed her scandal-hit government is deeply unpopular and pressure mounted for an early ballot. Dogged by allegations that lawmaker Craig Thomson had used a former employer’s credit card to pay for prostitutes before he came to parliament, Gillard moved Sunday to clear the decks by ordering him to quit the party.
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Carried under the headline “Julia on the brink”, the newspaper revealed the Galaxy poll of 1,019 people showed Labor’s vote had dropped to just 30 percent — from 34 percent in January. It also found that 54 percent of voters thought that Gillard’s reluctance to demand the resignation of Thomson and Slipper was poor political judgment. Thomson is accused of using the credit card of his former employer, a trade union, to pay for prostitutes, lavish meals and to get cash advances.
… I always spoke to Jamail and Sidney and my oldest son Bruce about being leaders and not followers,” Shirlene Hill said. “I want him to come back and share his testimony with his friends at Liberty School, church. Anywhere he goes, I want him to be able to share with young people.”
Mary Duke and her husband created Teen Straight Talk 26 years ago to educate young girls about teen pregnancy. As the need grew, Mary Duke said the organization continued to address the issue.
The group has gone on four mission trips to various places in Africa, as well as St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Mary Duke said the group’s message could reach everyone.
“Because our message is truth, and it transcends all generations of the family, we are going to target it to every sector of the family,”
Mary Duke said. “We’re going to be ministering to little children and young adults, prostitutes, families, widows and widowers.”
MEMBERS of Victoria Police’s fraud and extortion squad are expected to visit brothels and escort agencies in Sydney this week to interview sex workers about whether the former Labor MP Craig Thomson used union funds to pay for their services while he was national secretary of the Health Services Union.
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To date he has claimed that he was interstate on some occasions that his card was used for prostitution services, that someone had forged his signature, and that another union official was responsible and had repaid the money.
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Mr Thomson dropped a defamation action against Fairfax Media last year after a Sydney court was told that Mr Thomson’s signature and driver’s licence details were on some of the brothel receipts, and that the backbencher’s mobile phone had been used to make the bookings.
See the full article from “The Age”
SYDNEY (AFP) – Prime Minister Julia Gillard Monday vowed to lead Labor to the next Australian election, as a poll showed her scandal-hit government is deeply unpopular and pressure mounted for an early ballot.
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But she remains under intense pressure to call the election early, with a poll in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph revealing 52 percent of voters were in favour of a vote of no confidence in her government.
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Thomson is accused of using the credit card of his former employer, a trade union, to pay for prostitutes, lavish meals and to get cash advances.
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Commentators slammed Gillard’s moves as political expediency, with The Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Hartcher saying the prime minister had “decided to take out her political rubbish, not because she objected to the putrefaction but because the neighbours wouldn’t stop talking about the smell”.
See the full article from “Yahoo!7 News”
Sydney Strip Clubs: The Top 10 LGBT Honeymoon Destinations
April 30, 2012
Las Vegas, the “sin city” that lures in everyone, whether it’s for the shows, the food, the opulence, or the gambling, has been making a huge push to welcome us queers for the past few years. Most of the major hotels and resorts are gay-friendly, and there are even some properties just for us gays. The Blue Moon Las Vegas has been a home away from home for gay men (exclusively) for years. Traditionally, the “gay scene” in Vegas has been focused around the area called “the Fruit Loop.” The Fruit Loop is located on Paradise Rd. near the Hard Rock Hotel. Krave, a staple in the gay Vegas nightclub scene, is the closest to the strip, right near Planet Hollywood. However, the excitement has shifted northwest, where a new nightclub, Share, has popped up. Located on Wynn Rd. between the Orleans and Palms Casinos, what makes Share unique is its male stripper license. (Oh, boy, I can see it now: Vegas is going to break our pink banks.) For gay and lesbian honeymooners, Las Vegas is sure to leave a lasting impression to remember forever. Just remember what they say: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”