Australia Needs Ethical Reporters (WhistleBlowers) to Identify Its Corruption

 "Corruption hurts the poor disproportionately by diverting funds intended for development, undermining a government's ability to provide basic services, feeding inequality and injustice, and discouraging foreign investment and aid ". Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General

If YOU don't speak out against government corruption that you see, probably no-one else will either.

You do not have to expose yourself to retaliation from the top - you can do it anonymously - but get the report out there!

Did you know that World Anti-Corruption Day falls on 9 December each year? No?

Didn't Mr Howard tell you? Did the Opposition (Beazley and Rudd) tell you? No?
Funny, that, isn't it?

Did you know that under Mr Howard, Beazley and Rudd et al, Australia signed an important UN treaty agreeing to address its own corruption?
After years of conferencing in 2003, along with about 150 other countries, we signed the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC)? Didn't Mr Howard tell you that?

Unfortunately, after 4 more years, what Mr Howard or Mr Ruddock (or whomever) signed in UNCAC has not turned into actual action.
In other words, seemingly even signing the UN anti-corruption treaty was just another pile of more empty words (corruption) by Howard's puppets - paid for by us.

Did you know that Australia did not even bother to send a representative to the UNCAC meeting December 2006?
So, we still cannot depend on Mr Howard.

Despite all the money Howard takes, addressing corruption is up to us.

Do not forget this when you go to vote!

In 2003 Australia chose to sign the United Nations Convention Against Corruption [UNCAC].

By now it should be visible - well on track in eliminating internal corruption. Mr Howard should be asking us to tell him where we see corruption.

There should be cameras rolling and Mr Howard and his mob exhibiting and showing themselves now addressing Australia's corruption. 

Of course IF they were actually addressing corruption they would be advertising it - but apparently they prefer to sleep with it.

Those who are held responsible start at the top with Prime Minister John Howard; his Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock is apparently responsible for overseeing UNCAC in Australia).

But there are no observable actions.

All we can see is John's self-serving fairy story.  Pie in the sky.

Another person of interest is Mark Vaile in Port Macquarie.  Mark is not only Deputy Prime Minister, but also Member for Lyne and therefore the federal member for Kempsey where Val Kerrison has been persecuted (at a cost of millions) for the past 14 years.

How about protecting this whistleblower Mr Howard and Mr Vaile?

Previous articles world wide identify that she is persecuted for daring to open her mouth about corrupt officers in TAFE, seemingly from the Directors General of DET down throughout the past 14 years!

How corrupt is that?

WBDE have been publishing and lobbying on behalf of Val and other persecuted whistleblowers. WBDE is a bunch of publicly motivated citizens such as those the UNCAC direct Mr Howard and his henchmen to heed in order to identify and correct Australia's corruption.

As a signatory of UNCAC, by 14 December 2006 Australia was specifically instructed to work with civil society (the general public) and, importantly for conserving public funds, to implement procedures to protect whistleblowers. See

http://www.wbde.org/documents/2006Dec14UNCAC_CivilSocietyStatment.php  which states:

"Protecting whistleblowers

"There is evidence from all regions of the world that civil society activists have a crucial role in promoting transparency and accountability. They need to be supported and protected. We note with deep concern that in many countries activists and others who report or denounce corruption are harassed, physically attacked or prosecuted. We welcome the commitments made [BY COUNTRIES INCLUDING AUSTRALIA] under UNCAC to protect all whistleblowers.

We call on governments to incorporate protection from retaliation, for those who report corruption, under their domestic legal systems.

Some whistleblower publications, especially the stories of public servant whistleblowers savaged by the infamous HealthQuest (and Comcare) psychiatrisc processes are published on the site WhistleBlowers' Documents Exposed (http://wbde.org), and DoCS whistleblower Gerard Crewdson has published many cartoons http://www.wbde.org/artwork.php including the Industrial Relations Appeals Panel and crown solicitor barrister lack of procedural fairness in the multi-million Val Kerrison case

http://www.wbde.org/artwork/CartoonJudgesOfIndustrialRelationsCommission.jpg .

For many years HealthQuest psychiatric process has been likened to the Chelmsford atrocities, but where Chelmsford used "deep sleep", HealthQuest wrote and issued fraudulent Retirement Certificates, and charged places like TAFE about $800 each for them.

For more than a DECADE Mr Howard and his office repeatedly refuse to even answer the evidence, let alone address its corruption - instead he/they 'flicked' the evidence away - over and over again.

And STILL REFUSES.

It is not difficult for the general public to work out that Howard's men/women who perpetrate criminal acts of persecuting a witness or potential witness in court action should be charged by DPP, and that includes accessories who turn a blind eye. See

(http://www.wbde.org/references/ReferencesExtractsFromCrimesAct.php )
Civil society including WhistleBlowers' Documents Exposed (WBDE) are members of the general population who are thoroughly fed up with corrupt and the billions wasted on supporting corrupt acts within Australia each year.
WBDE now seek intervention from United Nations Office on Drug and Curruption [UNODC] who are administering the UNCAC treaty
http://www.wbde.org/documents/WBDE_Letter_UNCAC_15_Mar2007.php

In relation to the plight of our whistleblowers, sometimes there is a small voice in the wilderness; Val Kerrison's local state member Andrew Stoner spoke in parliament.

From Hansard Andrew Stoner Leader of The Nationals 1 June 2007 Page: 668
MRS VAL KERRISON, FORMER TAFE EMPLOYEE, DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT :
Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [10.40 a.m.]: Six and a half years ago, on 2 November 2000, I outlined in this place a serious injustice suffered by my constituent Mrs Val Kerrison, a former Kempsey TAFE employee.
It is almost beyond belief that Mrs Kerrison still has had no justice from the Carr-Iemma Labor Government. In 1994 she complained about discriminatory action by another TAFE teacher.
Specifically it was alleged that this teacher would not allow newly enrolled Aboriginal students into classes of predominantly white students.
The complaint was proved, but management took no action against the other teacher; rather, despite good performance reports, out of the blue TAFE management decided to refer Mrs Kerrison to HealthQuest for medical assessments to ascertain her fitness for continued employment. [From 400 kms away], HealthQuest subsequently [said] that she had a personality disorder and she was promptly railroaded out of TAFE with no compensation and no medical retirement pension—just hastily and summarily dismissed.
That was appalling treatment of a whistleblower whose complaints were found to be justified. All of that was done without Mrs Kerrison having the opportunity to be informed of any information used against her or to mount any form of defence.
Mrs Kerrison can specify at least 30 occasions on which decisions were made and information was used without her having the opportunity to respond. This was done behind closed doors and in secret. In short, she has been blatantly and clearly denied natural justice and procedural fairness by the Department of Education and Training ever since 1994.
For some 13 years Mrs Kerrison has been pitting herself, a mere minnow, against the might of the government, including TAFE lawyers and the Crown Solicitor's Office. Her case is well documented on the Whistleblowers Documents Exposed web site, www.wbde.org . The web site also outlines cases of other very shabby treatment of whistleblowers.
The case is currently in court where Val Kerrison is completely outgunned by the resources of government, which of course are resources contributed by taxpayers.

Today I call on the Premier and the Auditor-General to intervene in this matter because Mrs Kerrison clearly has been denied procedural fairness and natural justice. Her life has been irretrievably and adversely affected by the actions of TAFE management and the continuing actions of the Government in fighting these matters.
The fact that she has been denied procedural fairness and natural justice renders the actions and evidence of the department null and void; hence there is no need for an order of the court to set the matter aside. I therefore call on the Premier and the Auditor-General to instruct the Crown Solicitor to cease action against Mrs Kerrison and arrange for her legal entitlements to be paid.
I also ask the Attorney General and the Minister for Education and Training to respond in writing to me in relation to this matter so that I can advise Mrs Kerrison of any action they propose to take in order to effect long overdue justice. I ask this specifically because six and a half years ago when I took up this matter there was no response from the Government.
Its only response outside the Parliament has been to use the massive resources of government to fight against Mrs Kerrison's case. I urge the Ministers I have mentioned to respond to me in writing so I can advise Mrs Kerrison in relation to her pursuit of justice.
See:
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/web/common.nsf/blank
____________________________________________

Mr Mark Vaile, the federal local member is silent.

So is Mr Howard.

So is Philip Ruddock...

http://www.wbde.org/documents/WBDE_Letter_Politicians_18_March_2007Submitted.php

So are the state members, Iemma et al

Recently, amid raucus laugher by Crown Solicitors Office mob, in Industrial Relations Commission the mob for DET/TAFE and Crown Solicitors teams (expensive barristers, lawyers, and support staff) happily chalked up more public costs and pursued massive costs against Val to offset the apparent millions they have already charged the public purse so far.

Sickening isn't it?

Can you help?.

Circulate, email, fax, anything?

More information is on http://wbde.org or contact Jo Hewitt reporter@wbde.org

Some addresses which might be useful:

The Prime Minister, Hon John Howard, PO Box 59, SYDNEY NSW 2001
Mr Mark Vaile , Deputy Prime Minister Suite 1a, 2 Horton Street, Port Macquarie, 2444 Fax (02) 6552 5835
Mr Phillip Ruddock, Aust Officer for UN Convention Against Corruption Fax (02) 6273 4102
Mr P .J. Debnam Leader of the Opposition's office Parliament House Macquarie Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 peter.debnam@parliament.nsw.gov.au Fax (02) 9230 2270
Mr Morris. Iemma Premier 48 Thurlow Street RIVERWOOD NSW 2210
thepremier@www.nsw.gov.au Fax (02) 9228 3934
Hon John Hatzistergos Attorney General Fax 02 9228 3600
Mr John Della Bosca Minister Education & Industrial Relations Fax 9230 2469
Mr Michael Coutts-Trotter Dir-Gen Dept Education &Training/TAFE Fax 9561 8558
Mr Michael Slattery, QC, President, NSW Bar Association, 174 Phillip Street, Sydney.2000
Ms Anne Sinclair, Director, Professional Conduct, NSW Bar Association, 174 Phillip Street, Sydney 2000
Ms June McPhie, President, NSW Law Society, 170 Phillip Street, Sydney. 2000
Mr.Tim Bugg, President, Law Council of Australia, GPO Box 1989, Canberra 2601
Jo Hewitt
reporter@wbde.org