David Russell argues that our political leaders need to aquire ethics and values, and another legalistic "code" is a step in the wrong direction:
The question was asked recently as to why federal parliamentarians do not have a formal code of conduct. The issue emerged in the wake of the allegations levelled at Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper about the performance of their duties.
Now, admittedly, the Thomson allegations relate to his activities prior to election as a Member of Parliament but, given they include suggestions he utilised some $250,000 of union funds that were not his own to fund his election campaign, most people would regard it as a pertinent overlap.
What initially proved compelling political theatre as the lurid and sensational claims about both MPs were made public by an excited media pack has become nauseating as we witness interminable attempts to prove or disprove culpability. The prevarication, posturing and pragmatism that has characterised most of those caught-up in these dramas has fomented a wave of public revulsion that all this has happened with, effectively, public money.
The frustrating aspect to the scandal is the almost complete focus on whether either man has actually broken the law. If they have, certain penalties will surely flow and a clear pathway to conclusion will likely have been determined.
But that is not the burning issue. It matters not, in the ultimate scheme of things, whether Peter Slipper as a Member of Parliament or as Speaker of the House of Representatives never once breached the regulations governing the use of taxis and hire cars. Similarly, whether he remained strictly within entitlement for his extensive overseas and domestic travel is not the core issue.
What matters to taxpayers – and what makes them even angrier about the blame-shaming and buck-passing that has shrouded these incidents – is that Slipper has blatantly abused his moral entitlements. Even if every single journey he has ever made is entirely legal, most voters believe he has rorted the system.
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