Today, the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption took evidence from Stephen Paul Donnelly, currently the assistant secretary of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party.
In 2009 Mr Donnelly was working for Senator David Feeney.
Senator David Feeney has close links to former PM Julia Gillard. Michael Smith News, on June 4th, revealed: (link)
David Feeney is named 6 times by Ms Gillard in the Record of Interview with MD Peter Gordon on 11 September, 1995. David Feeney was a central figure in Ms Gillard's claims that she paid for all her own renovations. Here are the 6 Feeney "grabs" from the record of interview, then I'll publish the whole of the section for context. The speaker is Ms Gillard, 11 September, 1995.
- David Feeney, who is an official of the Transport Workers' Union, had raised it with Andrew with the specific intent of Andrew raising it with me and David was happy for me to talk to him about it.
- I have spoken to David Feeney. I spoke to him on Friday afternoon.
- Obviously, it accords with what David Feeney has told me that he was sent away by the AWU and without explanation an account from Con was put in my letter box last week, so that's the first account that I've had from him.
- I'm making arrangements to get the $1780 together to pay the rest of it. I have suggested to David Feeney that I think the way forward in relation to this is for me to simply meet with Bob Smith at FIME and say someone came here looking for payment of an account.
- The information from David Feeney is that Bob Smith doesn't believe that I am at fault in relation to this. He has got no agenda about damaging me in relation to this or using it against me, that he will be quite happy to see the issue go away, and that he thinks that Bob will respond well to a direct discussion like that.
- I've left that matter on the basis that David Feeney will sound Bob out and, provided there isn't any unforeseen problem, I will meet with Bob as soon as possible for the purpose of clarifying that matter. Now I believe that that must be the source of the rumour about, that must be the factual construct behind what has become the rumour about, about the association or Bruce or the union or whoever paying for work on my house and I don't obviously given I've been fairly surprised by events to date in relation to this matter, I can't categorically rule out that something at my house didn't get paid for by the association or something at my house didn't get paid for by the union or whatever, I just, I don't feel confident saying I can categorically rule it out.
So what events did Mr Donnelly reveal while he was working for Senator Feeney and therefore, presumably for us, the Australian taxpayers?
He revealed that he was
- involved in the campaign by Mr Bolano for office in the HSU in 2009;
- on the TWU Queensland Branch campaign in 2010;
Although he was then working for Senator Feeney on the public purse, today he gave the following information: (LINK)
Q. That was up in Queensland, wasn't it?
A. It was.
Q. Who were you working for at that time?
A. Senator Feeney.
....................................
Q. Were you on leave for the month and a half or so that you were in Queensland?
A. It followed the time that I worked on the Federa lelection campaign in which I'd accrued enough time in lieu that I was working on my own time under an arrangement with Senator Feeney.As far as this blog can ascertain, there was not a word in the Main Stream Media questioning whether Mr Feeney was campaigning for Union candidates while being paid by the public purse.