George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy President. As I was saying, $67,722.20 of the consideration from that transaction came from the AWU Workplace Reform Association set up by Ms Gillard in her capacity as a solicitor. But we learned yesterday that the balance of the purchase price, $150,000, was funded by a mortgage with a Slater & Gordon loan and that the solicitor who documented the mortgage was none other than Julia Gillard. Furthermore, we learned from Mr Baker's article in yesterday's Melbourne Age that the property was bought in the name of a Mr Blewitt on behalf of Mr Bruce Wilson, under a power of attorney. Who do you think, Mr Deputy President, drew up the power of attorney? Well, none other than Ms Julia Gillard. We also learned yesterday that the Kerr Street, Fitzroy, property was bought by Mr Wilson, nominally on Mr Blewitt's behalf, under a power of attorney drawn up by Julia Gillard at an auction. Who accompanied Mr Wilson to that auction? None other than Ms Julia Gillard. We also learned that, when the conveyance was effected of that property, it was effected by a lawyer at Slater & Gordon. And who was the lawyer at Slater & Gordon who effected the conveyance of that property? Ms Julia Gillard.

We also know that Ms Julia Gillard left Slater & Gordon after these matters were revealed in unusual circumstances. We also know that Ms Julia Gillard did not create a file or otherwise disclose these transactions to her partners, which, as anyone who has worked in a law firm, as I have done, knows, is highly irregular and is only consistent with deliberate concealment.

I am not saying that Ms Gillard was a party to a fraud. What I am saying is this: every aspect of this transaction, whether the power of attorney, whether the securitisation of the transaction with the loan through Slater & Gordon, whether the conveyance of the property was documented and conducted as a solicitor by Ms Julia Gillard, it was done by Ms Julia Gillard on behalf of her then partner in circumstances in which the entire transaction was concealed from her partners.