The sleaze and corruption swilling around federal politics has reached the point where it’s genuinely difficult to keep track of the scandals, outrages and abuses of taxpayer funding.
If it’s not Peter Dutton handing money to donors, or Bridget McKenzie blaming unidentified staffers for the sports rorts scandal, it’s the Liberals slapping their logo on vaccine information, or thin-skinned Marise Payne bailing on a partisan infrastructure media event when the local (Labor) MP dared to turn up.
Older scandals — like those of Angus “Watergate” Taylor, or the handing of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to tax dodger News Corp, or the systematic partisan rorting of the Community Development Grants fund and other pork-barrels, or the Infrastructure Department’s windfall for the Perich family, or Christian Porter’s alleged public behaviour, haven’t got a hope of getting attention. They’re just so much flotsam in a rising tide of sleaze that marks the Morrison government as the grubbiest, most corrupt in federal history.
Bear in mind that it’s the Coalition that likes to claim it understands that taxpayers’ money doesn’t belong to politicians.
What’s rising, along with the level of filth, is the willingness of Coalition politicians to not merely brazen out revelations of blatant misuse of taxpayer funds, but to do it openly. The NSW Berejiklian government has led the way, with the premier herself declaring that the abuse of taxpayer money for the partisan goals of her own party was perfectly acceptable.
She was backed up in this recently by her deputy premier, John Barilaro, who justified the shameful partisan rorting of bushfire recovery funds in NSW as well as the rorting of the Stronger Communities Fund, which Berejiklian’s office tried to cover up.
But the blatant embrace of scandals has spread to the federal level, with another thin-skinned Liberal, Greg Hunt, last week responding to questions about Liberal logos on vaccine information by abusing the journalist concerned.
Once politicians become comfortable talking about pork-barrelling and misusing taxpayer funds as justified, and vilifying journalists who ask about it, we enter a quite different political space — a post-integrity politics when people in power don’t even bother with a pretence of sticking to the rules.
It’s easy to blame Donald Trump for this. He demonstrated to politicians the world over that it is possible to prosper politically not despite routinely lying, acting corruptly, engaging in disgusting abuse and encouraging violence, but because of it. Scott Morrison’s incessant lying certainly seems to reflect a lesson learnt from the years between 2016-20: that there need be no consequences to blatant dishonesty.
But the blame must also rest with voters — including large swathes of the Australian electorate who would fiercely reject any comparison to rusted-on Trump supporters who ignored evidence that he is a corrupt sexual predator and systematic liar to back him in November.
Judging by the polling of the NSW and federal governments, many voters seem content with politicians who misuse taxpayer funds. Lack of integrity isn’t a vote-changer, even if voters may not particularly like it. The sleaze has to reach out and affect them personally before they jack up about it.
This creates a pretty simple calculus for politicians. They can abuse taxpayer funds for partisan purposes, and reap a net benefit from that in terms of votes, or they can refuse to do so, and get no benefit at all.
Because if there’s any uncertainty about whether a lack of integrity hurts your electoral prospects, there is absolutely none about the fact that integrity doesn’t improve your prospects. The last government to try to govern in something approaching the national interest was the Rudd government, which tried to reform political donations, widened freedom of information laws, increased cabinet transparency, restricted its own capacity to advertise and made bipartisan appointments.
It got exactly zero benefit from that — only critical headlines when Rudd, back in power in 2013, junked the advertising restrictions to flog his hard line on refugees.
That’s the problem with integrity — it makes life harder for politicians. And if there’s no punishment for ditching integrity, then it’s a no-brainer.
“But the blame must also rest with voters”
Voters react to what they are told.
News Corp and Nine Media (hello Chairman Costello), go hard on any ALP malfeasance, but are conspicuously silent on all but the most egregious Liberal and National wrong doings.
Yes, essentially what I was going to say. In that I do think that the majority of voters care about corruption, but unfortunately, much of the commercial media only really go hard on scandals, when they’re Labor scandals.
Yes Duh
Yes, where are the screaming headlines about corrupt politicians? There are none. Compare that with the daily outrage in the MSM about Julia Gillard’s ‘carbon tax broken promise’, to quote Michelle Grattan who used the phrase every time she wrote Gillard’s name. To use just one example from the Labor years.
If the media reported it and said why it mattered, voters might view it differently. At the moment we are moving rapidly towards Bjerknes-Pietersen levels of corruption and the media doesn’t seem to care. Perhaps that’s because they are mostly run by the Liberal party.
Not to mention the ABC not televising Keneallys speech at the National Press Club, and hardly a mention of it anywhere.
Keneally might mouth some of the right words, but her outrage and intention to follow up with significant corrective action are fake and opportunistic. Pity – because they are the right words.
She hasn’t exactly had the chance yet, since Labor is not in government.
As NSW Premier “Eddie’s girrrl” did SFA to cleanse the Augean stables of Macquarie St.
boring
The commodification of journalists’ consciences – with some exceptions- now threatens the integrity of most of the ABC’s news reporting.
The ABC is fast making itself irrelevant. Insiders has become a waste of time, ditto Q&A.
If the Hun and the Tele put screaming “Party of Sleaze” headlines on their front pages day after day, it would change the national conversation.
And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
Then there’s the never-ending churn of a carousel of Coalition politicians (present and “past” – still touting their Scotty FM Coalition) on The Dum – because Fanning and Baird don’t seem to be able to put up with being corrected or contradicted.
yes poor panel host let Barnaby lambast over the other female panellists; Jane Caro only at the end of an excruciating show came out with her anger. Watch that moment for a viscerally cutting through the dullard. But they’re enjoying being cultural phillistines. Fact women who dont enjoy the uncomfortable place in conservative circles will be the ones ” burning down the house” be very afraid you nasty little people with small minds and dodgy agendas;
The ABC was stolen but we will save her when this mob is finally booted out… Even if it takes 8 years But will we still be hear or willl they loose our country to multinationals totally and enjoy the payday shared between them in jobs after power or will we all be enslaved .. I hope they are happy when they see what their own progeny have to live under
cynicism is a danger to democracy remember not to give in.. they are playing a long game.. be strong and positive they hate that . Yes you are right its being used as liberal soapbox and against the charter. Buttrose and the bloke at the the top really are puppets for scotty from marketing and sinister agenda to sell our data and our eyes and ears to big brother data corporations .. Theres the money trades in data and health .. wake up Australia this pandemic has seen them sell our resources and cultural institutions for naming deals and power and cushy jobs; IPA have gone underground working away like rats
Its because there is no unbiased reporting, the press has lost it mandate as the third pillar.
The vast majority live lives there grandparents would fantasize about and still aren’t happy and feel deprive so accept the narrative that they deserve moooooore. When you come from this standpoint you will accept any buls*t as long as someone is telling you you haven’t got enough.
Let’s see what the woke lefty feminists on Crikey make of the latest rape scandal and how a female minister handled it. Yes its all about identity politics until it isn’t.
Too much of our media is joined at the political hip to this bunch of moral reprobates – because winning is more important than either ethics or good governance.
Then there’s the standard too many of the rest are prepared to pass – and in so doing are complicit in validation.
Again this widespread media pap whenever “Scomo really wants to … (something positive/good) …” while ignoring (either purposely, or because they’re too lazy to research, or too thick to comprehend) history and the reality of what he’s doing at the same time.
meant as a reply to bjb….
What’s the matter with you? This was a horrible thing to happen. Apparently the young woman rape victim was encouraged to speak out after the words of Grace Tame, a very worthy Australian of the Year. I salute this brave young woman who got the the courage to speak out about what happened to her within our own government offices.
How about you forgo your cheap politics for just a moment. The violence and abuse against women mainly and also against others has to stop and it will take a concerted and painful effort from all of us.
Thanks Zeke, absolutely correct.
Very well said.
I guess by your last remark you approve of sexual assault of women and that it should never be reported. That to report or to raise the issue is to be regarded as a lefty feminist. But of course you are just a bloke with bloke values and entitlements that must be protected at all costs.
Duh. I dont think woke feminists are doing the deals dear… read a book
Ya mean Chairman ‘Hillsong’ Costello?
It may be that “Voters react to what they are told.” but it doesn’t matter what is true, it is what people believe that moves them.
I’m an avid taker of opinion polls, but I’m always disappointed when they get to the ‘what are you most concerned about’ section and ‘government corruption’ isn’t offered. They talk about Climate Change… well, yes, it’s a problem, mostly because our corrupt government is in the pocket of mining companies. Privatisation – privatisation is only a problem because the people who want it have bought the government; no corruption, no one would suggest privatisation. Etc.
Yup. They ask only questions when they know how to deal with the answers, by slotting them into the boxes of their making.
That’s where Lynton Crosbie and Hugh Mackay stand out: they ask searching questions and take all the answers seriously, even when they don’t fit their paymasters’ agendas. Total professionals.
Lynton Crosbie? Focusgroupmeister for the Liberal Party?
It helps to accurately know ones targets – makes them easier to fool.
yep the same dimwits who sold off our water and port of highest security value .. just criminal really but they are sinister dirty little opportunistic parasites with zero class and culture
Well put Mr Keane, I despair however what is required to make them care???
Electoral revolt, by a well informed, intelligent populace?
A non starter if ever there were one.
It’s basic behavioural psychology, really. The behaviour that is rewarded is the behaviour that is reinforced.
So the question is, how do we reward integrity?
Perhaps Crikey could play a role here. A weekly column highlighting when a pollie does something ethical?
OK. Make it an annual column then.
Nice idea – might have to wait quite a while though!
A column? Optimist, are you?
I note that some people blame the media for allowing the LNP to get away with, well basically, anything. It is the same media that the majority of people don’t trust, at all. So, we don’t trust the media but we blame them for convincing us how we should vote???
We claim to want integrity, more fairness, action on the environment and global warming, higher taxes for better services etc etc, but for 21 of the last 25 years we have elected a government that does none of the above and, in fact, openly opposes action on any of them.
The main reason for the other 4 years going to Labor was Work Choices, that election was not about anything but self interest.
I have said for many years that the LNP most accurately represents the majority of Australian voters, ignorant, self delusional, selfish, insular – well they are the Trump Republicans of the Southern hemisphere.
We have a corrupt government because that is what we want, a government that hands out cake as a reward to it’s supporters, while denying bread to those who disagree with it.
Like the USA we don’t actually deserve democracy, and that is why the perversion we have should be called something else.
Nothing will change until we do.
Agree completely. The problem lies in the fact that the ‘quiet Australian’ is insular, thinks in the short term and is not prepared to take responsibility for anything outside of his/her own family or for the following generations. This might be called selfishness, but it is also an acceptance of behaviour at a higher level–corporations, government, white collar crime–that most people see as being quite beyond them, so they wash their hands of it.
It is true that the MSM always gives the LNP an easy run, but that is because they chime into the lethargic attitude of most voters towards political activity. Most voters are still capitalist individuals at heart and are too insular to see that a cohesive, caring society, one that transcends the insularity of the individual, requires ruling powers to practise integrity.
It is too easy to say (as I have heard many times when handing out How-to Vote cards) that “They’re all crooks”, “They’re all corrupt”, “You can’t trust any of them.” This is fundamentally an abrogation of any responsibility on the part of the individual who holds such views.
I fear that the kind of selfish cynicism it represents will not be changed and is constantly reinforced by the propaganda in the MSM–individuality, competition, arrogance, over-consumption, appearance over substance.
People might say they don’t trust the media, but they are influenced by it, even if only subliminally.
As are the rest of the media. There is a herd mentality among journalists, that the LNP is adept at exploiting.
A little thing that, in America, is called “The Fox Effect”. Murdoch’s media empire has been dragging the rest of the media to the Right Wing of the political spectrum since the late 1990’s.
No that’s not fair. Australians are also shallow, conservative, nationalist, often racist, whingeing, moaning, lazy but obsessed about watching sport, self centred, materialistic and (maybe spritually) empty….. successful outcomes of imported US libertarian ideology being promoted by our hollowed out media creating robots.
When it comes to voting it’s about the individual hip pocket e.g. climate warming is acknowledged as a problem according to most, but that number inverts if any minimal cost is attached…..
Media plays the status quo game nationally of claiming all sides are bad so stick with the status quo.