Call for ALSO resignations

Long-time ALSO member Geoff Richards (pictured) has this morning called for the immediate resignation of ALSO treasurer Gerard Brody and CEO Crusader Hillis in the wake of claims the Foundation has already been using ALSO Care funds without members’ approval.

Hillis told The Age today the Foundation had advice from auditors they were permitted to borrow from ALSO Care without the members’ direct go-ahead.

Richards told the Star Observer this morning Hillis and Brody should resign.

“Morally it’s wrong to start with, it’s deceitful not to tell the board, it’s deceitful not to tell the members and to borrow like that,” he said.

“It’s dreadful that sane, supposedly sensible business people, as we thought directors were, were able to ignore what was staring at them.”

Richards said he was not calling on ALSO president Jarrod Hassell to resign, who’s only been in the position just over four months.

The ALSO Foundation will hold a special general meeting tonight where members will vote on allowing $500,000 to be transferred from ALSO Care to the Foundation to save it from collapse.

However, members have already raised concerns — after receiving the latest profit and loss statement from July 2010 to April 2011 on Monday — that there is not enough left in ALSO Care’s coffers for such a transaction to go ahead.

Hillis has again called for government assistance, saying the ALSO Foundation has “not reached its used by date”.

“We do need to make a big shout-out call to the government, we’ve been doing their work for far too long without getting anything for it,” he told The Age.

“We offer incredible services and workplace development right across the state.

“The time is now, you actually have to start recognising that we’re a significant part of society and we’re doing these services off our own backs.”

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