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Police raid former Health Services Union official Kathy Jackson's home Police raid former Health Services Union official Kathy Jackson's home
(about 1 hour later)
Police have raided the home of former Health Services Union (HSU) official Kathy Jackson north of Wollongong in New South Wales. A raid was under way at the home of former union official Kathy Jackson north of Wollongong in New South Wales on Wednesday afternoon.
Several warrants were issued as part of a joint operation between the Australian federal police and Victoria police on Wednesday morning for a property at Wombarra, a Victorian police spokeswoman said. Several warrants were issued as part of a joint operation between the Australian federal police and Victoria police on Wednesday for a property at Wombarra, a Victorian police spokeswoman said.
A number of items were removed from Jackson’s house and a shipping container in the backyard, according to the ABC. Jackson has been under scrutiny by the unions royal commission over her time as national secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU).
On Friday, the royal commission into trade union corruption released a damning assessment of the activities of former HSU officials Jackson and Craig Thomson in the form of a submission. She has faced civil proceedings in which she was ordered to pay compensation to the HSU of more than $1.4m.
The submission from counsel assisting the commission Jeremy Stoljar SC, released on Friday, related what he called a “sorry history of misappropriation and deceit” and made the claim that some senior management operated with “a sense of complete entitlement in respect of the use of members’ money”. That case is currently being contested in court. Last Friday her actions were described as part of a “sorry history of misappropriation and deceit” in a report released by the royal commission.
The submission also noted that Victoria police, operating independently but in support of the commission, was undertaking a criminal investigation into Jackson’s activities while at the union. The raid is part of Operation Heracles, which is specifically tasked with investigating allegations referred to by the royal commission.
More to come ... The raids on Jackson’s home are understood to be linked to a criminal complaint the Heath Services Union made to police in February about the disgraced former HSU secretary.
That HSU complaint to police is understood to involve about $900,000 of $1.4m that the federal court in August ordered Jackson to repay the union.
Jackson, now bankrupt, was ordered to repay the HSU $1,338,626 in damages and $67,912 in overpaid salary after the Federal Court found she had used union money to prop up her lavish lifestyle.
Jackson has appealed against the federal court order. But the HSU is fighting her appeal, questioning the competency of her bid.
The federal court in Melbourne on Tuesday agreed to hear the HSU’s objection to Jackson’s appeal in November.