Sunday, July 22, 2012

For The Record

BILLABONG visitors are a cluey lot, so this query is borne on the modest hope that someone may have the answer:

What was Julia Gillard's address in Collingwood, circa 1993, when she was mostly sleeping over with beau and blackguard Bruce Wilson at 85 Kerr Street, Fitzroy?

The property records, including building permits and permissions to renovate, might make interesting reading. The name of the contractor, for example, would be good to have, as this detail might inspire an industrious reporter to track him down and ask a few questions about the manner in which he was paid.  So far, all we have is Gillard's assurance, supported by a handwritten receipt no one else seen, that her home improvements were paid for with cash unencumbered by fraud or outright theft.

Yes, yes, it's a long shot -- not finding the records, mind you, just locating a curious reporter.

29 comments:

  1. Tell 'em she shared a home with John Howard, they'll be all over it.

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    1. Nothing to see here. On the other hand, Howard's father's auto-garage has implications for democracy in Australia...

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  2. It says a lot about journalists in Australia that nobody has investigated this. Then again you'd be afraid of losing your job like Michael Smith.

    Sure hope something comes of your post!

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    1. Yeah, must be very hard to wander down to the State Library and check out the Federal and State electoral rolls for 1993.

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    2. Is there a journalist in the country who can work a microfiche?

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    3. Indiana Jones style!

      You need to venture through the impaled skeletons of those who went before!

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  3. A curious reporter, well don't look at the press gallery in Canberra, they have been reduced to rewriting press releases that they have begged for.

    What happened over 11 years of Howard rule?

    The press cosied up to the ALP, all for mateship and for the peanuts and crackers of bilious and hate politics.

    I blame the Russians of course, removing a worthy foe has taken away a focus we all had, now it is on each other and we find ourselves for what we are.

    I wonder what your average reporter thinks of him/herself these days?

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    1. PhillipGeorge(c)2012July 23, 2012 at 9:23 AM

      You can't handle the truth! Son

      Jack Nicholson's courtroom tirade is delivered in a Hollywood fiction in which the truth ultimately prevails; that's how courts and newspapers work in Hollywood - prize winning journalists like Woodward and Bernstein look under every rock.

      A clean mirror should be the greatest catharsis of them all. But our mirrors come with air brushed images - love, like truth, lies bleeding in the street, cannily avoided at all cost.

      Yet the Piper always get paid. So reach now for your purses, lads, tomorrow there'll be nought with to pay - the debtors prison has one way gates - and weeping you'll hope your children avoid it.

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  4. Yep, agree there is no point hoping for a so-called Journalist to go after this story, they lack the courage to do so and for some reason appear rather "scared", of Julia.

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  5. In 1993 Collingwood and Fitzroy were separate Councils.In June 1994,together with Richmond and Northcote Councils the four were amalgamated to form what's now the City of Yarra.My experience of Council amalgamations would suggest that those records may be difficult to find,presenting as they do a heaven (or in this case a Kennett)sent opportunity for staff to cover tracks.Much shredding,burning and dumping invariably occurs.Files relating to building permits and development approvals are the first to go particularly when Labor controlled Councils are about to be placed under the control of a Liberal Government appointed Administrator.The Love God and his accomplice may have struck it lucky.

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  6. Larry Pickering has reported the events fully:

    http://pickeringpost.com/news/serious-questions-for-gillardbr-still-no-answers/139

    and

    http://pickeringpost.com/news/gillard-the-story-she-tried-to-kill/66

    Larry Pickering has been told to shut up - like so many others. He's refused and is willing to give the Union Boys his address. Worth the read to see how far the rot has gone.

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  7. According to my 1998 Phone Disk:

    JE GILLARD
    36 St Phillips St
    Abbotsford 3067
    9417 5466

    Maybe?

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  8. Ms Gillard probably had a business and home address listed with the powers that be who oversee the legal profession.
    Law Institute of Victoria may have records.

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  9. Mike Smith is still hot on the trail as evidenced by his interview with Alan Jones http://www.2gb.com/index2.php?option=com_newsmanager&task=view&id=13667
    Smith probably now knows this case more than anyone else and is obviously willing to listen to anyone who wants to hear him.

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  10. Larry Pickering has done some excellent work. you might want to look up The Pickering Post online

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  11. Don't have the house yet but here's another tip.Amongst the receipts were two cheques for equal amounts paid a couple of weeks apart. Each was $8750 which total $17,500. Now I've been a big spender and operated in pretty flash circles around this time and I would have had great trouble spending $2000 in a year.Second, if you are paying a deposit on clothes it is usually 10 or 20% upfront.If you got the clothing altered to fit,you would pay all up front and then the alterations.The cheques were made out to Town Mode and supposedly were for clothes....Something wrong here Bunyip. My women's intuition tells me so..Either not for clothes but say renovations or money through the washer to a mate or relly.Perhaps a renovation company? Was it really confirmed that this money was to the fashion house??? It seemed to me this was the issue that flipped the red lid so must be a sensitive one.Maybe money to give to someone else who doesn't know its history.I remember helping my mum out with my first big bonus.

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    1. Were these alledged garments for professional purposes, ie for the purpose of earning an income?
      Was a deduction claimed, and if not why not?

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    2. Is the Town Mode identified as being in Melbourne? There are one or two in Adelaide (google Town-Mode as well.) It used to be very common (and still is e.g. at Millers of Manuka in Canberra) to run up accounts at stores. This could be just paying off a large account in two installments.

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  12. Ascertaining her address might not be too hard - as noted above, what about the electoral rolls? The point made about the shredding of development applications etc may well be correct. Once the address is known, a title search would reveal if a transfer of title occurred. If so, there might be a conveyancing file with records of development applications attached. Of course, getting the file is another matter. If Gillard was the vendor, maybe the purchaser would cooperate. Once it becomes known there are persons interested in this information, who knows who might come out of the woodwork?

    Why not try an FOI request? Even under Tame Ted, the government might be generous. Also, is there a benefactor - with no connections to the Libs or Nats - who might employ a private dick to get on the job?

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  13. thefrollickingmoleJuly 23, 2012 at 3:52 PM

    I spent a while trying to find out if the $15,000 frock shop "La Mode" belonged to a comrade of Ms Gillards. Unfortunately it was a dead end, apparently the place closed down..

    Anyone have any idea on how to check who was the owner/leaseholder?

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  14. How difficult is it to find someone who is prepared to spill the beans why a young and naive partner of a law firm was given the sack.
    Would that have anything to do with...........?
    All information should be send to the following email address: y.vredenhoven@gmail.com

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  15. Property subscriber services (eg title searches) allow you to search entire suburbs by name, company etc and also reveal the previous owners, what the sale prices were etc. Someone with that access in Victoria would need to do so from within the property industry, although reporters usually know how to do so.

    Council records won't show the contractor unless a building licence was applied for and the Council happened to keep those details (very unlikely) for the last 20 years.

    Even if you found the contractor, he would have been paid by cheque or transfer. That cheque would have been banked and no longer in his possession.

    What would be more revealing, is the purchasing entity if not the ranga's own name (usually unlikely due to privacy) may reveal a company and further details....

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  16. From memmory Land transfers have to be gazetted.Find a year, surname and search via government records.

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  17. If the records are burnt, do a Title Search and see if you can track down the person that brought the property off of her and asking if they've kept their conveyance file... you never know you might get lucky...

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  18. You can request the property file from the relevant council would cost about $70 - $80, will give a copy of all the information kept by the council on the property. All building permits have to be registered by the council and kept on record even if the building surveyor is private.

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  19. i would think that rather than worrying about council records that may or may not exist, it would just boil down to a check of the electoral roll for that time, as someone above mentioned?

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  20. "Viewing archived property information files

    To view archived property information files, please contact Yarra Building Services on 9205 5095.

    The cost for viewing archived files are:

    $78 for residents
    $130 for commercial

    Please note that there is an additional fee for photocopies of plans."

    http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/planning--building/Building-services/Property-Information/

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  21. "Viewing archived property information files

    To view archived property information files, please contact Yarra Building Services on 9205 5095.

    The cost for viewing archived files are:

    $78 for residents
    $130 for commercial

    Please note that there is an additional fee for photocopies of plans."

    http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/planning--building/Building-services/Property-Information/

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  22. Couple of points to consider.When people move companies they often have to buy a car and register it.Also it is interesting how people in the legal profession know when a company is selling up or going bankrupt and sometimes things may be sold cheaply.When did the Fashion House stop trading? Was it around October 1994?

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