“I’m Bankrupt” Says former HSU Boss Kathy Jackson

Former Health Services Union boss Kathy Jackson has declared that she is [morally] bankrupt after failing to appear in court to hear the first day of proceedings in a civil claim against her.

{I’m sorry] Miss Jackson was due to appear in the Federal Court earlier today to hear claims brought against her by her former employer for allegedly using her authority as national secretary to spend some $600,000 in Union funds on personal expenses, such as holidays holidays and shopping.

The HSU had also been seeking to freeze Ms Jackson’s assets.

Barrister James Johnson, acting for Ms Jackson’s former lawyer and her partner Michael Lawler, said that  “events had occurred over the weekend that involved the bankruptcy of Ms Jackson”.

Court documents show the HSU accused Ms Jackson of spending more than $131,000 on her union credit cards, including on holidays to New Zealand, the United States and China, and airfares to France for her daughter.

The Union also claimed Ms Jackson ran up a bill of more than $29,000 on entertainment, including more than $14,000 at a single restaurant in Richmond in Melbourne’s east.

She was also accused of cashing in $249,000 in union cheques and spending almost $78,000 in department stores in Melbourne and Sydney.

Earlier this month Ms Jackson attempted to transfer the ownership of her $1.3 million NSW property to her de facto partner Michael Lawler.

Coincidentally, Ms Jackson now joins former HSU colleague Craig Thomson in declining to face court on civil charges due to ill health and financial hardship.

Craig Thomson recently declared that he had “suffered enough….”