Craig Thomson

[WhiteD3]

Guilty.........................I'm shocked.

[RHS58]

Really?
Shocked???
Why?????
As a union official he was just in training to be a labour politician with his snout (or other bits) in the trough (or other bits).
Mind you, the other side is no better.
The gullible constituents really do deserve the politicians they vote for.
Crap candidates, crap policies to suck 'em in, then bend 'em over the pork barrel....

[Ean Austral]

Guilty.........................I'm shocked.



the only shock will be how lite the sentence is... he will proberly get some form of compo for the stress the whole process has put him thru.


If it was any normal worker that done it , it would be throw away the key.


Cheers Ean

[Chucaro]

the only shock will be how lite the sentence is... he will proberly get some form of compo for the stress the whole process has put him thru.


If it was any normal worker that done it , it would be throw away the key.


Cheers Ean

No to mention if it was a tax fraud, he will get it easy because was money from the union :D
How many politicians, federal and state from both parties are in trouble in the last 12 months?
Obeid and Hartcher amongst former Labor and Liberal ministers to be called before new ICAC inquiries (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-18/icac-rort-inquiry/5266888'section=nsw)

Are any in trouble from Vic, Qld or the other states?

They should be send the to Italy or Russia to learn how to be a politician and not be mixed with corruption :mad:....................:p

[RHS58]

Was interesting that the beak (judge) decreed that it was ok that Mr Thompson charged x-rated videos on his union credit card as legit business / union expense.
Guess it confirms that Craig might be a ******.

[Chucaro]

Was interesting that the beak (judge) decreed that it was ok that Mr Thompson charged x-rated videos on his union credit card as legit business / union expense.
Guess it confirms that Craig might be a ******.

Why then he is guilty to put in practice what he have learned in the videos? :confused: .................................................. .............................:D

[Mick_Marsh]

Why then he is guilty to put in practice what he have learned in the videos? :confused: .................................................. .............................:D
What was that movie I saw the other day? Fargo?
Many wood chippers down your way Chucky? Not many around here.

[Chucaro]

What was that movie I saw the other day? Fargo?
Many wood chippers down your way Chucky? Not many around here.

:D........I go to bed, the silly hour is finish for me.
I will try to come tomorrow with something that make sense.........then again.................

[DiscoMick]

So the issue was did the union have rules in place to outlaw what Thompson did? He claimed his actions were approved, but the judge said not on $20k of charges. So the penalty will relate to the $20k amount, I guess.

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[Cobber]

I've found this whole saga rather comical to be honest. When he pleaded 'not guilty' to all counts I was hysterical but it was clear (to me at least?) he is guilty as sin from the start! :D

But ask yourself this ... Is he the only union official doing this? I doubt it, even if not to the same extent ($20k seems to be the 'benchmark') could it have anything to do with his shift into politics? Given how unstable it all was (is?) it seems likely the politics thing had something to do with him being caught - even if it was for the sake of a good news story. Read into that however deep you please.

I think he's completely guilty and I believe the sentence handed down to him will probably be rather light for my liking ... but I also believe if anyone scratched the surface a bit harder they would find he was/is not the only union official with a lot to answer for. The difference is he was daft enough to go waaaay over the top.

............ reading between the lines of course ;)

[d2dave]

Guilty.........................I'm shocked.

I'm not. When you have in excess of 100 charges laid against you surly you have to be guilty of some.

[87County]

Only a fool would lie to parliament - and there's sure been a heap of them who have done that over the years from all shades of the political spectrum.

I have known a few compulsive liars in my time and I think that those unfortunates honestly believed (at least sometimes) the lies that they were telling - is he one of those ? I know not.

A trail of forensics is left wherever we go (even here :)), so his vehement denial of the evidence and the defamation suits he started raise questions about his sanity.

The honest people in the HSU who suffered due to his actions have not had much of a mention, they seem to have been overlooked.

Hope my use of the "p" word doesn't put the kybosh on this thread but I suspect it's getting close to the limit anyway.

[Saitch]

Be interesting to see what he gets compared to what one, Gordon Nuttall, copped here in Qld???

[Kevin B]

A trail of forensics is left wherever we go (even here :)

I was not here your honor, by simply telling you this it must be true, so if im not here you cant read this your honor.. so it :wasntme:

[ugu80]

No doubt there will be an appeal. It's not over yet.

[Chucaro]

No doubt there will be an appeal. It's not over yet.

Who pay for the legal costs? We?

[WhiteD3]

Who pay for the legal costs? We?

No, the NSW Labour party..........as they did the last time. But then again they needed his vote then in fed parliament....not the same these days :D

[Roverlord off road spares]

after watch all that porn he better go to spec savers and get his eyes tested. He could be going blind:o

[DiscoMick]

I see the HSU itself is after Thompson to recover $400k for its members.

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[d2dave]

A bit off topic but along a similar vein. Gillard is or was also been investigated for some union stuff. Have not heard much about that for a while.

Maybe a bit of hush money to keep it out of the press maybe?

[DiscoMick]

Or maybe it was always just an empty beatup in the smear campaign against her?

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[LandyAndy]

Fringe Benefits,all part of the slush fund,the courts are wrong!!!!
Andrew

[rb30gtr]

Guilty.........................I'm shocked.

hahaha.
I don't think a couple of people picked up your intended sarcasm.

[d2dave]

hahaha.
I don't think a couple of people picked up your intended sarcasm.

I didn't.

[bob10]

Excuse the French, but that grub should be sent to the big house. And any others who are rorting the system. There has been too much blood sweat & tears expended over the years, for people like that to white ant the Union movement. I agree with a thorough investigation of the whole setup, get it out in the open, once & for all. And this is not a political statement, just a statement of fact. Bob

[Mudnut]

I am as shocked as the rest of you. It seems that the Labor Party could in fact organise a R*** in a Brothel!! :p

cheers,
Ken

[bob10]

I am as shocked as the rest of you. It seems that the Labor Party could in fact organise a R*** in a Brothel!! :p

cheers,
Ken


Being a good politician, he probably sat & watched. Then claimed the benefits. Then produced a report on how effective he was. And bombarded his electorate on how he would do better next time. Bob
:p Gee, I hope Andy's watching.

[Chucaro]

Excuse the French, but that grub should be sent to the big house. And any others who are rorting the system. There has been too much blood sweat & tears expended over the years, for people like that to white ant the Union movement. I agree with a thorough investigation of the whole setup, get it out in the open, once & for all. And this is not a political statement, just a statement of fact. Bob

Bob, the problem with that is that it will cost us another $100.000 + a year to have him lock in our jails. It have to be a better way so this people pay for " the accommodation"

Have a look this site (http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/a-day-to-keep-milat-in-jail/story-e6freuy9-1111118728516) and your blood will boil :mad:
And keep it in mind that the article is dated 2009 so do some adjustments in the cost.

[Kevin B]

Seems some of us were wrong lol

[Chucaro]

He should move to the Sex Party :p

[BMKal]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/02/280.jpg

[DT-P38]

Put him to strictly supervised work with out pay for the members of the union he defrauded for the term of his natural life.

And shouldn't this political stuff be in La Cantina? Please :-)

[Chucaro]

Put him to strictly supervised work with out pay for the members of the union he defrauded for the term of his natural life.

And shouldn't this political stuff be in La Cantina? Please :-)

Dave if we put this thread in the Cantina it will not have enough exposure.

[DiscoMick]

How good are we at spottng a liar? I watched his speech and wasn't convinced for or against, but thought we should park the lynch mob and suspend judgement untill a judge could sift the evidence impartially. Spotting a liar isn't always easy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-21/dawson-so-you-think-you-can-spot-a-liar/5274330

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[justinc]

what a creep. A slimy, smarmy and dishonest pond dweller.


jc

[sheerluck]

How good are we at spottng a liar? I watched his speech and wasn't convinced for or against, but thought we should park the lynch mob and suspend judgement untill a judge could sift the evidence impartially. Spotting a liar isn't always easy.

I wouldn't say I'm any good at spotting a liar, but the allegations to me had enough of a ring of truth about them that I thought it stood a good chance of being proven.

To me it smacked of someone who had had their nose in the trough for so long, that they thought they could get away with anything.

Geez, I can't even get away with a snack from the minibar on my expenses!

[87County]

he got 3 months ! ...... :o


(1 yr with 9 months suspended )



......and he's going to appeal

[incisor]

he got 3 months ! ...... :o

what!

sigh....

[rb30gtr]

What sort of example does this set??

I am now applying for a union job so I can go and do whatever I want for as long as I want with no fear of retribution.
Even his wife is fine with it.

[discovery39]

What sort of example does this set??

I am now applying for a union job so I can go and do whatever I want for as long as I want with no fear of retribution.
Even his wife is fine with it.


Ya better hurry up before Abbott gets his way.........

[ugu80]

He is free on bail pending an appeal against the severity of his :eek2: sentence.

[d2dave]

What a joke!:mad:

[DiscoMick]

A year in jail for stealing $24,538 sounds about right to me.
The maximum penalty for general dishonesty is five years.

http://www.cdpp.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/Directors-Litigation-Instruction-07.pdf

His conduct was despicable, but there are plenty of people around who have been accused of misconduct involving much larger sums of money.
I noticed the magistrate was scathing of Thompson's conduct, but also said he had a right to be treated equally under the law.
So much vitriol has been poured on Thompson that its a good thing this case was considered by a dispassionate judge, as it would have been impossible to find an unbiased jury to consider this case because of all the publicity.
Maybe the judgement will cause the members of the lynch mob to reconsider if they have been exploited for political reasons.

Thomson gets year jail, partly suspended | SBS News (http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/25/thomson-gets-year-jail-partly-suspended)

Note: I have deliberately not made any party political references in this post, as per the rules of General Chat.

[ramblingboy42]

I don't know if he really needs to go to gaol.

All priveledges gained as member of parliament should certainly be taken away.

His chances of ever gaining employment again are about nil.

I dont know what prison sentence is going to achieve except to appease people who are angry.

3 months is going to change anything?

Does he have a support base excepting legal teams....money...money...money.

I think a better sentence could be work for the dole for charities etc.

[d2dave]

A year in jail for stealing $24,538 sounds about right to me.
The maximum penalty for general dishonesty is five years.

I agree with the above, but he only got three months.

[richard4u2]

He is free on bail pending an appeal against the severity of his :eek2: sentence.
how is this right he has been given a jail sentence , the people in the union that he lead were paying $100 + a year in fees if they like it or not he blows it in brothels and he gets a jail sentence but thumbs his nose up at everyone and is walking around free whilst the people he has been duping are working their heart out paying bills and keeping a roof over there heads doing an honest days work

[ramblingboy42]

thats the legal system.......

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Doesn't he also have the potential of being charged with lying to parliament?

[DT-P38]

When the cameras go away... so will his supporters, including family and wife and ex-wife and all.

He will not live very well for the rest of his days.

[87County]

Doesn't he also have the potential of being charged with lying to parliament?

I know it's technically serious,

but the thing that comes immediately to mind is ..don't they all do that ?



sort of depends whether it's a "core" matter or not I think

[ugu80]

Doesn't he also have the potential of being charged with lying to parliament?

Lying to parliament is not a crime. There is no charge.

[101RRS]

Lying to parliament is not a crime. There is no charge.

But they can put him in gaol for it.

[DiscoMick]

I agree with the above, but he only got three months.

He got 12 months, but nine of that was suspended for two years, as I understand it.

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[sheerluck]

Lying to parliament is not a crime. There is no charge.

No charge? Yep, they do it for free! :D

[Chucaro]

Bugger my English!! I was under the impression that NOT Lying to parliament was crime.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Lying to parliament is not a crime. There is no charge.Misleading the House is a "Contempt of Parliament". but I don't know what are the penalties for a sitting member found guilty of contempt.

He probably has to go to the Parliamentary sauna or gymnasium for half an hour, you or I would probably be sent to gaol for 10 years! :mad:

[ugu80]

Misleading the House is a "Contempt of Parliament". but I don't know what are the penalties for a sitting member found guilty of contempt.

He probably has to go to the Parliamentary sauna or gymnasium for half an hour, you or I would probably be sent to gaol for 10 years! :mad:

Contempt of Parliament is not dealt with by the courts as us mere mortals would be dealt with but by Parliament itself, both Senate and House of Reps can institute proceedings individually. What constitutes contempt is entirely at the discretion of the vote of the MPs.

From Fed. Parliament website:

"Each house of the Parliament possesses the power to declare an act to be a contempt and to punish such an act, even when there is no precedent for such an act being so judged and punished. This power to deal with contempts is the exact equivalent of the power of the courts to punish contempts of court.

The punishments for contempts which either house may apply are set by the 1987 Act as fines of $5,000 for individuals and $25,000 for corporations, and up to six months imprisonment for individuals."

[DiscoMick]

I think imprisonment would mean the loss of your seat in parliament.

[ugu80]

I think imprisonment would mean the loss of your seat in parliament.

Under the Australian Constitution a member of parliament is disqualified if they have been convicted and is under sentence or subject to be sentenced for an offence punishable by imprisonment for one year or longer under a State or Commonwealth law. Note, not the actual sentence but the maximum sentence the particular law statutorily states as punishment.

[DiscoMick]

This is an interesting slant on it. Don't agree with it all, but he makes some interesting points:

Craig Thomson sentenced and immediately appeals (http://www.independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/craig-thomson-sentenced-and-immediately-appeals,6312)

[DT-P38]

Just worked out why his wife and ex are supposedly standing by him... it's because he pays the girls so well (but with other peoples money!). ;-)

[DT-P38]

This is an interesting slant on it. Don't agree with it all, but he makes some interesting points: Craig Thomson sentenced and immediately appeals (http://www.independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/craig-thomson-sentenced-and-immediately-appeals,6312) Dear lord and heaven help us all. Well I guess someone was bound to create a side with the poor Mr Thomson at some point. Unbelievable.

[Ausfree]

Bugger my English!! I was under the impression that NOT Lying to parliament was crime.

:Rolling::Rolling: I love it!!!:Rolling::Rolling:

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I think imprisonment would mean the loss of your seat in parliament.It does, but CT has already lost his seat via the ballot box.

The hide of the man for even standing for re-election! :mad:

[Chucaro]

He is free on bail pending an appeal against the severity of his :eek2: sentence.

David Rowe have the knack to describe the situation well :D

http://www.afr.com/rw/2009-2014/AFR/2014/03/25/Photos/bb9c6c0c-b3ff-11e3-a303-ff103cde5e54_26gallery--736x525.jpg

[Pinelli]

Dear lord and heaven help us all. Well I guess someone was bound to create a side with the poor Mr Thomson at some point. Unbelievable.

The Independent Australian - not exactly one of the shining lights of unbiased fact-base investigative journalism..

[DiscoMick]

The Independent Australian - not exactly one of the shining lights of unbiased fact-base investigative journalism..

That's true, and I don't agree with it all, but it was the first story I have seen discuss the way the charges against Thompson were changed during the trial and that may provide the grounds for a successful appeal, so that's interestng information. There will be a lot of astonished people if Thompson wins his appeal because the prosecution was bungled.

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[Andrew Morris]

For a while it looked like the first time ever a Labour Party MP could be proven to have been able to organise a f*ck in a brothel.
However, sadly, it seems he is even denying that as he claims to have only 'talked' with the escorts.

[DiscoMick]

The problem is that it appears lazy journos. have not properly reported the court case, leaving the public unaware of many facts.
The same thing happened in the Ashby vs Slipper case, and people were astonished when an impartial judge threw out the case against Slipper as a political conspiracy and an abuse of court, because people had only been fed one-sided journalism.
I did a lot of court reporting in another life, so I know how this works. Many journos are not properly trained in court reporting and just turn up, grab an easy quote, stitch up a superficial story and go away. Comprehensive and balanced court reporting takes a lot of hard work, but editors just want a quick fill and move on. The result is the real story doesn't get reported.
If the Thompson trial has been bungled, as the IA report claims, then this will become another example of biased and sensationalist journalism keeping the public in the dark.
None of that is about whether Thompson is guilty or innocent, its about the media not doing its job properly.


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[d2dave]

The problem is that it appears lazy journos. have not properly reported the court case, leaving the public unaware of many facts.
The same thing happened in the Ashby vs Slipper case, and people were astonished when an impartial judge threw out the case against Slipper as a political conspiracy and an abuse of court, because people had only been fed one-sided journalism.
I did a lot of court reporting in another life, so I know how this works. Many journos are not properly trained in court reporting and just turn up, grab an easy quote, stitch up a superficial story and go away. Comprehensive and balanced court reporting takes a lot of hard work, but editors just want a quick fill and move on. The result is the real story doesn't get reported.
If the Thompson trial has been bungled, as the IA report claims, then this will become another example of biased and sensationalist journalism keeping the public in the dark.
None of that is about whether Thompson is guilty or innocent, its about the media not doing its job properly.


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To add to his, last year I spent 8 days in the supreme court for a friends manslaughter trial. On the first day I was sitting next to two people who were taking down notes.

I asked them if they were reporters and yes one was with the Shepp News and the other Win TV.

On every day when we went to lunch, the reporters never returned for the afternoon session, yet that night Win news would report the days court proceedings, and the paper did the same next morning.

Any one not in court would never have known that it was only the morning session being reported.

[101RRS]

The same thing happened in the Ashby vs Slipper case, and people were astonished when an impartial judge threw out the case against Slipper as a political conspiracy and an abuse of court,

But on appeal that judge was found to have erred in that judgement and it has been over turned - the following order applies.

The finding that James Ashby sued Peter Slipper "to pursue a political attack" has been overturned on appeal - Michael Smith News (http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/02/the-finding-that-james-ashby-sued-peter-slipper-to-pursue-a-political-attack-has-been-overturned-on-.html)

[DiscoMick]

Michael Smith is the last person I'd look to for an unbiased comment on this issue.
Yes, leave to appeal was granted, so it will be re-argued. Meanwhile the matter is unresolved. Let's see what the higher court decides about what was correct or incorrect.

I don't want to get into a political argument. My point was not about the legal issues as such, but about the quality of the reporting of the case, which I think was highly sensationalist and often biased. Indeed, the Daily Telegraph led the way in its one-sided reporting, including the allegation that its aim was to "get" Slipper. There has also been a lot of sensationalist and biased reporting about Craig Thompson, no matter whether he's guilty or innocent, I think.

[101RRS]

Michael Smith is the last person I'd look to for an unbiased comment on this issue.


Irrespective of what you think of the author the court judgement is listed as published. That is not biased - the supposed unbiased judge was.

Garry

[DiscoMick]

I read the court judgements, both the original and the application for appeal. Its a dog's breakfast. I'll leave it to the lawyers to argue that one out.
My comments were about media coverage, not legal issues.

[rover-56]

Only a fool would lie to parliament - and there's sure been a heap of them who have done that over the years from all shades of the political spectrum.

I have known a few compulsive liars in my time and I think that those unfortunates honestly believed (at least sometimes) the lies that they were telling - is he one of those ? I know not.

A trail of forensics is left wherever we go (even here :)), so his vehement denial of the evidence and the defamation suits he started raise questions about his sanity.

The honest people in the HSU who suffered due to his actions have not had much of a mention, they seem to have been overlooked.

Hope my use of the "p" word doesn't put the kybosh on this thread but I suspect it's getting close to the limit anyway.


I agree - so why do we never ever any of them (too numerous to name) in HANDCUFFS???

Terry