Financial Controversy
Michael Williamson HSUE state secretary and treasurer (and HSU national president) was stood aside in October 2011 pending investigations of breaches of workplace law and alleged financial improprieties.
On 2 May 2012 the Pitt Street offices of the union were raided by New South Wales Police strike force Carnarvon, set up in September 2011specifically to investigate the HSU. Computers were accessed and documents taken by the NSW Fraud and Cybercrime Squad . The raid came weeks after another raid by officers of Carnarvon on the premises of a graphic designer, where documents and computers were also seized. The poice were investigating claims that the Communigraphix company gave credit cards, on the owners account, to Williamson and former HSU official Craig Thomson, now a federal Member of Parliament(MP). Communigraphix has a long term contract to publish the HSUEast magazine Health Standard, worth A$700,000 a year. Thomson was assistant secretary of the HSU NSW branch (now HSU East) from 1999 to 2002.
Later in May the Acting National President of the Health Services Union, Chris Brown, and five other members of the unions' National Executive applied to the Federal Court of Australia for a declaration that HSU East Branch had ceased to function effectively. They sought approval of a scheme to reform the Health Services Union East back into its prior constituent branches; Victoria No 1 Branch, Victoria No 3 Branch and the New South Wales Branch, as they existed prior to 24 May 2010. Additionally, all elected offices in the East Branch were to be declared vacant and an Administrator appointed until the election of new officials. A directions hearing was to be held before Justice Flick in the Federal Court at 9.30 am on 11 May 2012.
Read more about this topic: Health Services Union NSW
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