Julia Gillard worked in the industrial department of Slater & Gordon from 1988 to 1995. The Australian Workers Union was a client of S & G’s. Bruce Wilson was one of the officers of the AWU.
Jules seems to have forgotten the old saying about not getting your meat where you get your bread and entered into a romantic relationship with Bruce.
Th AWU Workplace Reform Association was incorporated in 1992. The legal work was done by Ms Gillard, off the books as it were. It was a slush fund controlled by a small coterie that included Bruce Wilson. A construction company, Theiss, were the principal donors to the fund, the coterie were likely the principal beneficiaries.
The AWU-WRA provided approximately $100,000 for the purchase of a house for another member of the coterie. Ms Gillard was involved in the legal proceedings in this matter as well. The lawyer with inside knowledge of the legal issues of the fund and the girlfriend of its mastermind, declares that she was not a beneficiary. Nor was she aware that anything untoward was afoot, nor did she do anything wrong such as sign off on a power of attorney in the absence of the individual involved or accept money for renovations to her house.Theiss probably thought they were buying industrial peace from a union. The Union itself knew nothing about it. A few officers of the union were moonlighting in style.Slater and Gordon eventually found out. I can imagine that the thought of one of its lawyers dabbling in a side-show behind an important clients back, to the disadvantage of that client and the benefit of her boyfriend might have had them thinking about ethical considerations, their reputation and their commercial future. On March 4, 1996 Jules found herself on the agenda of a meeting of the full partnership of Slater & Gordon…
bobmcgee 