Red Rag

John Howard has done a really good job making sure that undesirable advice doesn’t reach him. The latest example is the Draper Affair:

The Prime Minister, John Howard, appears to have misled Parliament by saying the Liberal backbencher Trish Draper had not breached parliamentary travel rules by taking her lover on a $10,000 overseas study trip.

Mr Howard’s office said he had relied for his defence of Mrs Draper on information given to him by the Special Minister of State, Eric Abetz.

The information appears to misrepresent the rules for politicians’ domestic travel as being applicable to overseas travel.

The correct guideline, according to the Remuneration Tribunal, confirms that Mrs Draper was not entitled to take a casual lover on her trip.

Howard should sack Abetz. He should know what the guidelines are, or at least be able to look them up before writing a letter of exoneration to Draper.

Abetz has also been caught printing Liberal Party propaganda on his Senate entitlements. There might be a case for bringing the rules into line with the House of Representatives, but until then Abetz should follow them as they are — especially since he’s responsible for administering them.

It’s important to remember, too, as Howard craps on about tightening the rules relating to MPs’ travel, that we don’t need new rules to prevent Draper-style rorts — we just need someone who’s capable of enforcing the existing rules.

You know, like an independent auditor.