The Labor Party and the unions

Union corruption has dogged the government all year and yesterday, the last day of Parliament, Julia Gillard's close relationship with union boss Bruce Wilson reminds us just how closely linked the Labor Party is to the union movement.


We have Michael Williamson, once National President of the ALP from 2009-1010.  This pillar of the community is charged with 20 offenses and was caught red handed ordering staff to delete computer files from the Hospital Services Union computers.

Michael Williamson

Then we have Craig Thomson, the Member of Parliament still standing in the House yesterday.  The ex HSU union official was accused of stealing over $100,000 from his union and paying for prostitutes with his union credit card.  But he hasn't been charged with anything - he seems beyond the law, and it's extremely frustrating.

Craig Thomson

And finally, we have the PM doing favours for her boyfriend, Bruce Wilson, a union boss, 20 years ago.

Bruce Wilson

Yesterday the PM suspended standing orders at the start of Question Time and demanded that Tony Abbott apologise for his suggestion that she acted illegally as a lawyer for Slater & Gordon.  Abbott accepted the challenge and in my view, gave a credible account of why he thought there should be an enquiry into the whole sordid AWU affair.

I don't think the PM did herself any favours taking the high ground, denying everything and hurling abuse at the Opposition all week. These allegations are so serious, they deserve an answer, something she consistently refused to do.

How much better would it have been if she had admitted she made some bad decisions.  It's much easier to forgive someone who owns up to a bad judgment than someone who "toughs it out" and denies there's a problem when it's staring everyone in the face.

The Labor Party need to acknowledge the fact that corrupt union officials have been stealing money from unions for years and put rock solid measures into place that will ensure it never happens again.  Only time will tell if it's too late to repair the damage.

Julia Gillard in crisis over slush fund

The elusive document the PM was supposed to have sent to the WA Corporate Affairs Commission has finally turned up.  It allegedly proves that the PM had much more than a "limited role" in the enabling of a slush fund for her lover Bruce Wilson, head of the AWU.  


When she was a salaried partner of Slater & Gordon in 1992, the Commission wrote to Julia Gillard stating that her request for the Australian Workplace Reform Association to be incorporated was denied - they were ineligible because of its union links.


If this latest document can be believed, the PM wrote back to the Commission informing them that her client was not a trade union organisation.


The PM has always maintained in news conferences and also in Parliament, that she played a minor role in setting up the fund from which her boyfriend Bruce Wilson and Ralph Blewitt siphoned off more than $400,000.


When Julie Bishop asked the PM on Monday if she had written vouching for the bona fides of the association, she said "The claim has been made, but no correspondence has ever been produced."


Nick Styant-Brown, a former Slater & Gordon partner, has released the transcript of an interview held between Ms Gillard and the firm's senior partners about her involvement in setting up the association.  When questioned by senior partner Peter Gordon, she confirmed that after she drafted and submitted model rules for the new association, the WA authority had written back saying they were ineligible because of its links to a union.


She said "We had prepared a response submitted on Wilson's instructions to that authority suggesting that in fact it wasn't a trade union and arguing the case for its incorporation."  While admitting she did not keep an official file on the matter, she produced informal records found in her office.


From the transcript:  "I had just in my own personal precedent file, a set of rules for the Socialist Forum which is an incorporated association in which I am personally involved" she said. "I just kept them hanging around as something I cut and paste from for drafting purposes and I obtained, I don't quite recall how now, but I obtained the model rules under the WA Act and I must have done the drafting relying on those two sources."


She also acknowledged that she did not consult anyone else in the firm, including Tony Lang, another partner, well versed and experienced in forming non-profit associations and didn't ask anyone else about what might be "acceptable or appropriate."


Slater & Gordon said last month that the file relating to the case had disappeared and the file held in the WA Archives was empty.

Julia Gillard's backdown over Israel

Julia Gillard nearly lost her job yesterday when cabinet refused to back her decision to vote with Israel and the US against a UN resolution for greater recognition of a Palestinian state.


Foreign Minister Bob Carr is said to have been instrumental in the rebellion and threatened to vote against her which would have forced her resignation.  She quickly changed her mind and announced that Australia would abstain from the UN vote. 

Malcolm Turnbull

The Opposition, who would have supported the vote, is disgusted with the government's decision.  Malcolm Turnbull said this morning that after chasing and finally securing a temporary seat on the UN Council, and given our first opportunity to have a say on an important issue like this one, Australia gets to say "nothing."

Foreign Minister, Bob Carr

US and Israeli officials are apparently "stunned" by our change in policy.  Some are saying it's because Labor MP's in Sydney's Muslim seats will be voted out next year if we don't vote against it.  But it's more than that, there's been a shift in thinking.


The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, hit the nail on the head when he said "There is no military resolution to the crises in Gaza or to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The only way to give the Palestinian people the state they need and deserve, and the Israeli people the security and peace they are entitled to, is through a negotiated two-state solution and time for this is now running out." 

Bill Shorten

The PM believes that a UN resolution to upgrade the Palestinian status to non-member observer status could damage the fragile peace talks and ceasefire currently in place but only two cabinet ministers supported her on that view - Bill Shorten and Stephen Conroy.

Stephen Conroy

Ten cabinet ministers spoke against it - Tony Burke, Chis Bowen, Bob Carr, Simon Crean, Craig Emerson, Martin Ferguson, Peter Garrett, Anthony Albanese, Mark Butler and Greg Combet.  


Mr Carr said it was common sense for Australia to adopt a middle-road approach and said the PM had shaped the decision and showed smart leadership.  "Australia strongly supports a negotiated two-state solution that allows a secure Israel to live side-by-side with a secure and independent future Palestinian state" he said.


Only seven countries are expected to vote against the move - Israel, USA, Canada, Micronesia, Palau, Nauru and the Marshall Islands.  If the PM's decision was approved, Australia would have been the eighth.

Bob Hawke

One of Labor's most faithful friends of Israel, former PM Bob Hawke, was busy on the phone, urging ministers to vote for an abstention. "Israel's policy of allowing the continued expansion of settlements was sabotaging peace and Israel's friends have to send them a message" he said.

I think they've got it.

Ralph Blewitt calls PM a hypocrite

Our Prime Minister is in trouble.  The Labor Party are trying to deflect the AWU slush fund debacle, but it won't go away.  The PM's relationship with AWU boss Bruce Wilson 20 years ago has come back to haunt her.

While working as a lawyer for Slater & Gordon, she helped Wilson set up a fund that was supposed to be used for the re-election of AWU officials on a workplace safety platform but instead, Wilson siphoned money out of it and among other things, bought a house in Fitzroy in the name of his sidekick, Ralph Blewitt.  The PM provided legal advice to help get the association registered in Western Australia.

Bruce Wilson

Last Friday, Ralph Blewitt, a man of dubious character, self-confessed fraudster and former AWU State Secretary, delivered a 10 page document to the Victorian fraud squad regarding the PM's involvement in setting up the $400,000 fund. 


A black cloud is now hanging over the PM regarding her involvement in that transaction - did she know that the purpose of establishing the fund was to rip off thousands of dollars from union members for the personal use of her lover?

Ralph Blewitt

Yesterday the PM attacked Blewitt whose past history is colourful to say the least.  He has admitted to fraud but sought immunity from prosecution before going to police.


The PM listed his sins, which are many, even his sister was quoted as saying he's a crook and "rotten to the core."  The PM asked us to choose who to believe - Blewitt, a user of prostitutes and involved in land fraud - or herself.  It's clearly a no-brainer, Blewitt has zero credibility.


Blewitt hit back.  "She's claiming this is all a smear on her, well she's a hypocrite.  Here she is smearing me and trying to distract from the main game.  This story is not about my past or my reputation" he said.  In the good old days Blewitt recalls when he, Wilson and the PM shared meals together as close friends.


Bruce Wilson, who now works in the kitchen of a restaurant on the Central Coast, said on the weekend that the PM knew "absolutely, categorically nothing" about the alleged fraud.

Julie Bishop

Meanwhile, Opposition Deputy Leader Julie Bishop, herself a lawyer with many years experience, has accused the PM of creating the "stolen vehicle that the bank robbers took to the bank." Nevertheless, Bishop spent 10 minutes with Blewitt on Friday, hoping to acquire documentation to back her claim that Julia Gillard broke the law.  She didn't get it.


Although the PM did not deny she had written a letter to West Australian corporate authorities in 1992, vouching for the bona fides of the slush fund, she told Parliament the alleged letter had never been produced.


Parliament will rise on Thursday and the Opposition will run with this vigorously until then, hoping it will fly.  Even if it doesn't, it leaves the electorate wondering about something that can't be denied - that Julia Gillard was closely aligned to the corrupt AWU union and it's definitely not a good look.

Keli Lane Appeals her sentence

Keli Lane is getting ready to appeal her sentence.  She may be the queen of deception and a consummate liar, but I don't believe her trial proved beyond reasonable doubt, that she killed her baby Tegan.

On Friday 24th June 2005, Keli's father said he and his wife were shocked to learn that their unmarried daughter Keli had given birth to three children without their knowledge.  He agreed that hiding one pregnancy from family and friends would be difficult but three was surreal and bizarre.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi QC said "Over the course of seven years,  from 1992 to 1999, the accused became pregnant no less than five times - in fact she became pregnant four times in five years. The first two pregnancies were terminated, the third and fifth were adopted, and the fourth was baby Tegan."  He alleged it was Lane's "over-riding ambition" to represent Australia at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 in her chosen sport of water polo that led to her "not wanting to be saddled with the responsibility of having a child."


Keli Lane comes from a popular sporting family who live on the right side of the tracks - the northern beaches of Sydney.  Her father was a successful rugby union coach and Keli was an elite water polo player, representing her state and country.  She lived at home with her parents who had no idea she had ever been pregnant - having a fuller figure, she was able to disguise it very well.

Keli chose the Auburn hospital to have Tegan, a Western Sydney suburb, a long way from her home. It would be very unlikely that she would run into any friends or family here.  But the day she left hospital, she attended a wedding, without her baby, and therein lies the problem - what happened to baby Tegan?  She says she gave Tegan to her father, but he cannot be found. 

Lane's appeal is set to argue that the jury should have been instructed that manslaughter and infanticide were alternative charges to consider. The finishing touches of the appeal are being put together by experienced barrister Winston Terracini SC, who will also apply for bail.

Winston Terracini SC

The trial's presiding judge, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Whealy QC, now retired, said he did not personally believe the Crown had proved its case against Lane and was unconvinced of her guilt.


It will also be claimed that the trial "miscarried by reason of the prejudice occasioned by the crown prosecutor" Mark Tedeschi. He built his case around the lies Lane had told, and there were many, and that the police couldn't find the father.  Judge Wealy warned the jury they must take into account that telling lots of lies does not make you a murderer.

Mark Tedeschi

Mark Tedeschi was responsible for the guilty verdict of Gordon Wood, since released on appeal and also Des Campbell, the man who took his wife camping and said she accidentally fell off a cliff to her death in the dark.

Karen Jenning

Tedeschi also had Qantas pilot Graeme Wiley's wife and friend Karen Jenning, a teacher, both found guilty of manslaughter for trying to help Wiley, who had dementia, commit suicide.  Jenning, who had cancer, took her own life a month before she was due to face a sentencing hearing.  She left a suicide note accusing Tedeschi of harassment. "During the trial, I felt persecuted and harassed by him" she wrote "He is a bully boy."

Keli Lane gave two babies up for adoption and is a loving mother to the daughter she decided to keep and raise.  And there is one important detail Tedeschi could not prove, that Tegan is dead.

Holland bans super-strength marijuana

Holland has banned super-strength marijuana over fears it's as dangerous as heroin and cocaine.  The Dutch have, after all this time, decided it should be re-classified as a Class A drug and in future, super-strength marijuana will be banned from Holland's coffee shops.

Dutch Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten has decreed that Dutch cafes will only sell cannabis that contains less than 15 per cent of the main active chemical THC, the compound that gives the user the 'high' and in large quantities, has been blamed for causing psychosis.

His decision will mean that around 80 per cent of coffee shop owners, many of them in Amsterdam, will have to replace around 80 per cent of their stock.

It's reasonable to assume that this new law will push the drug onto the black market.  Shop owners are furious and a spokesman said the new law will result in weak weed in the coffee shops and strong weed on the streets. 

So why after all this time is there suddenly a change in the law?  A study was done by the Dutch mental health charity, the Trimbos Institute, who found that skunk can be so dangerous, it should be classified alongside heroin and cocaine.

Currently you can buy up to five grammes (0.18 ounces) of marijuana for personal use in around 500 coffee shops in Holland.  It will now be up to local authorities to enforce the new legislation.

Israel drops leaflets on Gaza

Yesterday, the seventh day of the conflict, Israel dropped leaflets across several districts of Gaza City, urging people to evacuate their homes immediately and move towards Gaza City Centre.  The leaflets also gave directions of which roads to use.


Although they gave no reason for the instruction, Israel pledged that everyone who complied with the order would be safe.  "This is a temporary confrontation, in the end, everyone will go home" it read.  "In keeping with Israel Defence Force regulations, all civilians will be kept from harm's way."


As the leaflets were dropped from the air, Hamas militants fired a rocket towards Jerusalem which landed 5 kilometres south of the city, sending residents running for cover.

Israeli women take cover in stairwell as sirens sound

Israel has to decide whether to send troops in or agree to an Egyptian cease-fire agreement being organized by Hamas and Israeli officials in Cairo.  Yesterday they decided to postpone a ground operation "to give diplomacy a chance to succeed."

Israeli soldier looks for survivors

Meanwhile, six men accused of being Israeli spies were dragged through the streets of Gaza City and executed in front of a chanting mob today.

They were accused of providing intelligence which helped Israel pinpoint key Hamas leaders.  These precision attacks have left 118 Palestinians dead and half of those were women and children.

Hamas radio said the men had been caught red handed with hi-tech filming equipment.  The body of one of the alleged spies was chained to a motor bike and dragged through the main streets of Gaza as a warning to others.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said "There is no military resolution to the crisis in Gaza or to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The only way to give the Palestinian people the state that they need and deserve, and the Israeli people the security and peace they are entitled to, is through a negotiated two-state solution and time for this is now running out."

Australia's first bloke - Tim Mathieson

It's such an odd term - first bloke, but it sounds better than first gentleman. As the Prime Minister's de-facto partner, we see him at the door of the plane, standing next to Julia Gillard, waving and smiling at the cameras. I wonder if he knows how much that image rankles.


Last week when Tim said his day begins when he draws the PM's bath, gives her the daily papers and blow-dries her hair, he was accused of being an "old-fashioned wife."  


Yesterday, Ray Hadley, a Sydney broadcaster and Liberal Party supporter, wanted to know more about Tim Mathieson and the perks he is entitled to as First Bloke.  A spokeswoman for the PM's office said "From 2010 to date, Julia Gillard has undertaken 22 overseas trips and was accompanied by Mr Mathieson on 10 of those visits.  He is treated the same as every other spouse of a prime minister."   

When John Howard was in office from 1996 to 2007, he took 77 overseas trips and was accompanied by Mrs Howard on 56 occasions.

Tim was there is New York in September when we won a seat on the UN security council and he became the first man in the 67 year history of the UN, to attend the "first spouses" tea hosted by the wife of the UN General-Secretary.  I wonder if he sees the irony.

Tim Mathieson with his daughter and the wife of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Soon-taek. 

They met in 2004 when hairdresser Mathieson was working at a Melbourne salon.  In 2010 he worked for a real estate agency selling high-rise apartments.

But let's cut to the chase, is he going to ask her to marry him or not? Last year he said they hadn't discussed it.  "I would like to ask her" but added he was in no hurry.  "At the moment I'm really quite happy with our relationship the way it is.  Like Julia I don't think we need to be cemented in any other way.  We are happy the way we are but I would hope if I did ask her, of course, she would say yes."

He hinted that the PM may have some old-fashioned beliefs.  "I don't think she would ever ask me to marry" he said.  "There's no pressure on either of us to do that, but I would want to be the one to do the asking."

David Cameron, part of the blood-sport elite

There is no way around it -  David Cameron is part of the old school of Englishman who indulges in the sport of shooting.  He grew up in the country and he and his father, now deceased, were seasoned shooters. But he knows that city electorates abhor the sport, so he's understandably coy about it.

Deer stalking is the only form of control, or culling for the six wild, feral species of deer in the UK.  But it's not a sport for the faint-hearted. Traditionally, when a young deer stalker shoots his first stag, he is "blooded" - smeared with the animal's blood before it's butchered.

British red deer stag

The deer stalkers insist that for the sake of the health of the herds, and the environmental damage too many deer can do, they must be culled.  And out of respect to any animal killed in a sporting pursuit, none of its meat, offal or hide should be wasted.


The Prime Minister was also part of the elite fox hunting clique before the Labour Party banned it in 2004.  The Tories have promised to give MPs a free vote on repealing that ban.

In 1993, before he became an MP, a younger Cameron was invited to join a shooting party to stalk red deer with a group of up-and-coming Tories in the Scottish highlands.  When the venison was served one evening - cooked as it should be, so rare it was swimming in blood - it was reported that Cameron was "squeamish" and hid his portion under some salad leaves.


Not true said chef Rose Prince who prepared the meal.  "I know because I cooked the dish myself - I served the plate to Cameron full and it came back empty.  Moreover, there was certainly no salad on the future Prime Minister's plate."  She also remembers that Cameron was the only young person in attendance who cleared away the plates and helped with the washing up.


I remember Princess Dianna was appalled when her young sons had to be "blooded" on their first kill, it seemed like a ritual out of the dark ages.  It's a practice that has continued for centuries and looks likely to continue for many more.


When the story emerged about the PM being "squeamish" and hiding his offal under the salad, anti blood-sport Labour MP Kerry McCarthy said it spoke volumes about the Prime Minister.  "I think most people would find this (deer stalking) pretty disgusting but the old school, elitist, hunting, shooting, land-owning, aristocratic classes have these bizarre rituals that most people wouldn't indulge in."


Thankfully we don't induge in this class-dividing practice in Australia but country and city folk continue to misunderstand each other.  While culling and the slaughter of animals is cruel and disgusting to some, it's normal country practice for others.

Marijuana legalized in America

On November 6, Colorado and Washington became the first states in America to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use.  But there's a problem, the Federal government says that pot remains an illegal narcotic under US law.

The states are understandably nervous and wonder if employees who oversee the pot trade will be threatened with "acting in violation of federal law."  Rules and regulations need to be worked out for the growth, distribution and sale of marijuana, but no one knows how to proceed until they know what the feds are thinking.

Stan Garnett

The people of Colorado and Washington opened a can of worms when they approved Amendment 64 - to legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for those 21 and over.  Unofficial results said that 66 per cent Boulder County voted in favour of the amendment.

Boulder District Attorney, Stan Garnett is the first Colorado DA to dismiss all pending criminal cases and will also drop pot paraphernalia charges where it is clear the items are intended solely for marijuana use.  But Garnett said he would continue to prosecute:

• Cases of possession by those under 21
• Where dealing is suspected
• DUI offences involving marijuana

Anti drug groups say that any taxes the states collect will not compensate for the increased health, drug treatment and public safety costs that legalization would cause due to increased use of the drug.

Individuals can begin legally growing and smoking their pot as soon as the Colorado Secretary of State certifies election results on December 6.

Another death near outback Broken Hill

Author's Jeep just outside Broken Hill

Our harsh outback has claimed another life.  Three people from Victoria, two men and a woman, were travelling in a Hyundai Excel in a remote area 150 kms from Bourke, when they ran off the road and crashed into scrub.


The 24 year old woman telephoned emergency services on Tuesday morning to say they were lost, but her 000 call dropped out.  What she didn't know was that the call bounced off a phone tower 35 kms away and police and emergency crews were able to locate the vehicle.  An aerial search found the car around 8pm that night but the group had gone.

Mirage near Broken Hill

The woman left the men at a dam known as the Bondi Tank on private property in Langawirra Station, near Mutawintji National Park and walked 20 kilometers through the night.  She eventually reached a sheep station, Acacia Downs, around 9.40 am next morning.

A ground search found the body of 35 year old Brian Gadd from Ballarat about one kilometer from the car at the Bondi Tank.  The younger 21 year old man was found 15 kms northeast of the tank suffering severe dehydration and exposure.

After the woman left the two men at the watering hole, it seems they became confused and split up.  Superintendent Brad Hodder said "You don't know what happens when you get out in the bush, all reason goes out the window."


The woman and the younger man were taken to Broken Hill hospital and were discharged on Wednesday night and fled after seeing the media.  Police were called when two young women, believed to be friends of the group, arrived at the hospital and threatened a Channel 9 news crew.

Broken Hill is popular with tourists because it's easily accessible from major capital cities and they get to experience the real outback.

Looking across the town towards the Miner's Memorial

A huge mullock heap towers over the town and on top is the Miner's Memorial where 795 miners died over the life of the mine.

Miner's Memorial

Broken Hill was also the home of eccentric self-taught artist Pro Hart. Born Kevin Hart, he was a knock-about bloke who worked in the mine for twenty years.  His mining mates nicknamed him 'Professor' because he was a bit of a know-all and so he became Pro Hart.  A visit to his studio is a must.

Pro Hart

Superintendent Hodder reiterated yet again the bleeding obvious.  "Had they remained with the vehicle, they would have been located at 8pm that night."   He said they did have water but were "scantily" dressed and not prepared  for the extremely hot conditions and rugged terrain they found themselves in.

I find the circumstances of this tragic event rather bizarre.  It seems odd that the dead man was found at the water tank.  If there was water in it, he obviously didn't die of thirst, so what happened?  It will be interesting to see what the Coronor has to say.

Abu Qatada deportation rejected

Muslim cleric Abu Qatada has been freed on bail after a UK court ruled he might not get a fair trial if deported to Jordan to face terrorism charges.  He was released from Long Lartin prison after spending most of the last 10 years in custody.


Abu Qatada featured in hate sermons found on videos in the flat of one of the September 11 bombers and was dubbed Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe.


The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) approved his appeal against deportation after hearing that witness evidence obtained by torture could be used at his trial in Jordan.  Despite the UK obtaining additional assurances from Jordan, Cambridge educated SIAC chairman Mr Justice Mitting was not satisfied that a fair trial would take place.


The decision to uphold his appeal is a major blow to the British government who have been trying to have him deported for seven years.  David Cameron said "We have moved heaven and earth to try to comply with every single dot and comma of every single convention to get him out of the country - it is extremely frustrating and I share the British people's frustration with the situation we find ourselves in."


It is now up to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to get Jordan to convince the UK's Court of Appeal that SAIC got it wrong and overturn its decision.


Jordan's acting information minister Nayef- al-Fayez said his government was also disappointed by SIAC's decision on Monday.

Paedophile priests safe in the confessional

Cardinal George Pell said yesterday that if a priest confesses to raping a child in the confessional, he would not be handed over to police because the "Seal of Confession is inviolable." 

We need a new law that will break that seal.

His advice to priests is not to hear a confession about sexual abuse from a fellow priest.  "If the priest knows beforehand about such a situation, the priest should refuse to hear the confession" he said. "I would never hear the confession of a priest who is suspected of such a thing."


NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, a Catholic, said in Parliament yesterday that he struggled to understand the Cardinal's point of view, and so does everyone else - it only reinforces the truth that the Catholic Church protects paedophiles.


This is the man we have to thank, whistle-blower, Detective Inspector Peter Fox.  Police have tried to portray him as being mentally unstable, a nut job, because he accuses police of covering up sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Detective Inspector Peter Fox

He's received threatening messages on police letterhead and the stress has taken a toll on his family, especially his wife, who had a nervous breakdown.  His career in the police force is now over and his future uncertain.


DI Fox said the Church has been continuously saying that there isn't a problem and they don't need a Royal Commission.  "We've had enough from that one side Mr Pell, now we're going to start listening to the victims and their families and we're going to start doing something about it" he said.


Thank you Peter Fox, you are a brave man.


Victims of sexual abuse have been asked to come forward and contact police because the Royal Commission will not have the power to prosecute child offenders.   A search will now begin for a commissioner, or possibly more than one person, to fill this much needed and long awaited role.

Paedophile priests run for cover as Royal Commission announced

After several state enquiries on child sex abuse by Catholic priests turned out to be a complete waste of time and money, yesterday Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced something we have wanted for years - a Royal Commission.  It will probe organizations ranging from the Catholic Church and state authorities, to boy scout and sporting groups.  

I'd wager there are a lot of very worried child rapists out there today, particularly those in positions of power, as their day of reckoning approaches.  And we, the general public, are expecting nothing less than serious prison time for the perpetrators.

Chrissie Foster wrote a book about her family's ordeal at the hands of the Catholic Church and priest Kevin O'Donnell.  Her eldest daughter is dead and her sister is a vegetable because she sent both girls to a Catholic Primary school.


An ever-vigilant mother, Chrissie couldn't believe it when she was told that Emma, her eldest child, was exhibiting classic symptoms of child abuse and O'Donnell was the suspect.  How could this be she wondered, he had never been to her home and she had never left her girls alone with him, ever.  Then they discovered that her spiritual protector, Kevin O'Donnell, had been sexually abusing her in a shower room at her primary school.

Then her younger sister Katie was singled out for abuse and she fell into depression.  When her mother discovered a suicide note declaring her hatred for O'Donnell, who was by this time dead, Chrissie realized that both daughters were his victims. 


In 1999, an intoxicated Katie ran into a busy main road and was struck by a car.  She was in a coma for four months and awoke to a ruined life, unable to walk, feed or toilet herself.  Their historic out-of-court settlement in 2006 could not save Emma, by now a heroin addict. She died 6 months before the Pope's visit to Australia.


The Fosters were prepared to co-operate with the church until they met with Melbourne Archbishop George Pell, now Cardinal-Archbishop of Sydney.  He exhausted the couple with a "handful of trusted verbal tools" and urged them to "take your evidence to court."  The church knew about O'Donnell as far back as 1949 and again in 1958.  Both times he was relocated.


The Fosters showed Pell a photo of Emma with her wrists slashed, a sickening sight. He peered at the photo as said "Mmmmmm, she's changed hasn't she?"


In 2002, Pell told 60 Minutes journalist Richard Carlton he had never seen a photograph of Emma Foster but later admitted he had.  He said his "lack of recall was an honest mistake."


Cardinal Pell said this week that his church has been unfairly targeted due to "anti-Catholic prejudice."  He added "Public opinion remains unconvinced that the Catholic Church has dealt adequately with sexual abuse.  Ongoing and at times one-sided media coverage has deepened this uncertainty.  This is one of the reasons for my support for this Royal Commission."

Mr and Mrs Foster still fighting for victims