Health Workers Union put into administration as secretary Diana Asmar stands down
The national executive of the Health Services Union reached the deal with Asmar on Friday after spending months in court seeking to take control of the HWU, one of its four Victorian branches.
The Fair Work Commission has taken civil action against Asmar, alleging that a printing business connected to her received $2.7 million in HWU member funds for no service, with the money instead going into private accounts, and that more than $120,000 in reimbursements was claimed without evidence of relevant business expenses.
The Health Services Union itself is not accused of any wrongdoing, and has since September sought to put the HWU into administration over the allegations. Asmar privately denied the accusations and had previously fought against giving up control of the HWU.
On Friday, the Health Services Union's national executive announced it had reached an in-principle agreement that would put the Victorian branch into full administration, avoiding months of court hearings that were scheduled to begin in May.
Asmar has agreed to support this process and will be automatically removed from her position, ending her time in office, which was not due to expire until November 2026.
The agreement does not affect the Fair Work Commission's prosecution against Asmar and other senior HWU leaders.
Health Services Union national secretary Lloyd Williams said the union would continue to support the commission as it seeks to prosecute Asmar and recover compensation for any losses from alleged financial misconduct.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
7 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Palliative Care Victoria alarmed at lack of funding to help terminally ill Victorians
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News. Dying Victorians are being forced on to waiting lists for palliative care or being pushed into overcrowded hospitals instead of receiving care at home because of funding shortfalls, experts warn. Kelly Rogerson, chair of Palliative Care Victoria, has sounded the alarm that the state's at-home care system is in crisis following years of underfunding by the Victorian government, with at least an extra $20m needed to restore service levels. She revealed that 79 people die each day in Victoria without access to palliative care, and that terminally ill patients are frequently told to seek treatment in hospitals rather than stay at home due to budget issues. 'It just doesn't make sense,' Ms Rogerson said. 'We've got this massive increase of our ageing population and terminal illness trajectories, but we're a small piece of focus from a Department of Health point of view. 'People are only getting care in the last weeks of their life rather than actually living well, which is what palliative care is all about.' Data from Palliative Care Victoria showed 62 per cent of people who wanted to die at home were actually being admitted to hospital instead. Ms Rogerson added this was resulting in huge 'pressure on hospitals' and called for an urgent funding injection from the Allan government to help struggling services. Her call comes after funding was cut in the 2024-25 budget. This was despite a report in 2022, commissioned by Palliative Care Victoria, which found 75 per cent of service providers don't believe they can meet future demand, with a projected $91m annual shortfall in the state's sector by 2025. In comparison, in NSW the sector was boosted in 2022 with an extra $734m to be injected into the end-of-life care system over five years. Despite warnings of underfunding, a Victorian government spokesperson said: 'Every Victorian deserves access to compassionate, high-quality end-of-life care when and where they need it.' 'We've invested more than $182m to expand access to palliative care across Victoria, including year on year increase.' Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier slammed the state's action on the issue as tone deaf. 'Labor needs to immediately correct the underfunding of essential palliative care services, so that support and dignity can be provided to those patients at the end of their life,' she said. In one case raised with the Herald Sun a mother-of-three dying of cancer was not able to get assistance for help to care for her young children due to funding issues.
Sydney Morning Herald
10 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘A bit unique': MPs Josh Burns, Georgie Purcell are expecting a baby girl
Federal MP Josh Burns and Victorian MP Georgie Purcell have announced they are expecting a baby girl early in 2026. The pair made social media announcements on Sunday, with Purcell revealing she was receiving weekly medical checks as her pregnancy was deemed high-risk due to Purcell's autoimmune disease. Burns is a Labor Party member for the Melbourne seat of Macnamara and Purcell is an Animal Justice Party member and sits in the Legislative Council representing Northern Victoria. Purcell also declared she would be running for re-election in the 2026 state election and planned to return to work in February. She published a detailed Instagram post about the pregnancy, including thanking the couple 's closest friends for keeping the news private until they chose to make it public. 'This is obviously a vegan pregnancy (and baby) and I've been feeling good which has let me keep pace with sitting weeks, late nights, international travel, community events and the general silliness of the job,' Purcell wrote. 'But this new stage hasn't been without its challenges - some of you have seen me talk in the past about my autoimmune disease. It means I'm navigating pregnancy and a chronic illness and because of the range of antibodies I am positive for, I am officially in the high-risk category.' She thanked the medical staff who have cared for her during weekly medical check-ups, calling them 'incredibly kind, reassuring and supportive.'
The Age
10 hours ago
- The Age
‘A bit unique': MPs Josh Burns, Georgie Purcell are expecting a baby girl
Federal MP Josh Burns and Victorian MP Georgie Purcell have announced they are expecting a baby girl early in 2026. The pair made social media announcements on Sunday, with Purcell revealing she was receiving weekly medical checks as her pregnancy was deemed high-risk due to Purcell's autoimmune disease. Burns is a Labor Party member for the Melbourne seat of Macnamara and Purcell is an Animal Justice Party member and sits in the Legislative Council representing Northern Victoria. Purcell also declared she would be running for re-election in the 2026 state election and planned to return to work in February. She published a detailed Instagram post about the pregnancy, including thanking the couple 's closest friends for keeping the news private until they chose to make it public. 'This is obviously a vegan pregnancy (and baby) and I've been feeling good which has let me keep pace with sitting weeks, late nights, international travel, community events and the general silliness of the job,' Purcell wrote. 'But this new stage hasn't been without its challenges - some of you have seen me talk in the past about my autoimmune disease. It means I'm navigating pregnancy and a chronic illness and because of the range of antibodies I am positive for, I am officially in the high-risk category.' She thanked the medical staff who have cared for her during weekly medical check-ups, calling them 'incredibly kind, reassuring and supportive.'
