I try not to get too political in the newsletter, as proper journalists do it so much better, and many of the stuff that upsets me is nothing to do with the district - but…
In the last year or so, a local politician was flagged by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for submitting documents regarding entitlements for overnight stays, travel, etc. As he resigned from his portfolio, and said he would not be contesting the next state election (and his replacement is almost a permanent fixture on local newspapers), and paid back well over $30,000, we are not untouched. So when I listened to the the head of the ICAC Commissioner The Honourable Ann Vanstone QC speak against the bill that was presented to Parliament last week, I was interested in her point of view.
The bill that was put forward by SA Best MP Frank Pangallo, who in a former life would have hunted these miscreants down, passed in an embarrassingly short time. But the thing that really upset me, was that NO MP voted against it. Limiting the powers of an investigator to do what they were hired to do is unconscionable. The former ICAC Commissioner predicted this as he left office last year. (Justice Bruce Lander QC released the Oakden Report, prompting a Royal Commission.)
For more information on The Hon. Ann Vanstone and her predecessor: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-27/ann-vanstone-announced-as-new-commissioner-against-corruption/12495202
For those of us who have worked under rules that prohibit us from passing on any information, sharing documents, even talking about our employer on social media, asking people not to rort the system would seem to be a no-brainer. Asking someone with some sort of degree in business or finance to at least make sure their documentation is on point - especially when it comes to public money (because yes, WE pay THEM) - shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s what a good employee would do. It’s what an honourable person would do.
If the Tax Office wants our money, they are onto us fast enough, but apparently it only works one way - although, in the face of a class action, the Federal Government admitted liability for the unlawful Robodebt scheme.
Just as I was composing this, this happened:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-01/icac-investigating-gladys-berejiklian-daryl-maguire/100506956
Not unexpected, but listening to the news conference, Premier Berejiklian made it all about her and how she was fighting for NSW against COVD-19. Yes, it has been arduous, and she has fronted the media and tried to hold it all together, but hubris is often the only thing we remember, and it’s not like this is a new thing. I think the reprieve she got when COVID-19 ramped up gave her breathing space.
And on a lighter note - the wind has finally blown the last of the blossom from the ornamental pears in the CWA Garden, leaving a carpet of ‘snow’ on the ground.