Admission of guilt?
Yesterday I argued that “we don’t need new rules to prevent Draper-style rorts — we just need someone who’s capable of enforcing the existing rules.” Today, John Howard decided I was right:
[H]e has told a meeting of Coalition MPs that after discussing the matter with his senior colleagues, the Government has decided not to change the laws.
Instead, it will ensure stricter enforcement of the rules.
If politicians travel with someone else at taxpayers’ expense, MPs will have to certify in writing that that person is their husband or wife, or that they live under the same roof.
This is surely an admission that Trish Draper broke the rules, and that Eric Abetz failed in his responsibility to ensure that they were complied with. After all, if (as Howard, Abetz and Draper maintained) her actions were within the current rules, then mere enforcement of those rules would not prevent her from rorting again. Will we hear the three of them apologise for misleading parliament by claiming she was innocent? Not bloody likely.
Meanwhile, Crikey is hinting that another serious travel-related problem is about to blow up for the Libs. I don’t mean David Tollner’s drunk and disorderly conduct recently, either. Apparently someone’s been using their taxpayer-funded charter plane to ferry Liberal hacks to party functions. Tut tut.
Robert,
howard announced the laws will be toughened but the big test comes when the next rort occurs. howard simply does not pull his parliamentarians into line no matter what they do. this is just like the phone card affair.
the standard defence to Liberal rorting is admit nothing, point out the ALP scams, spin, get allies to defend you, pay money back at a last resort, and pray nobody gets caught in the future. if they do repeat.
PS how is howards spin re Iraq and opinion polls.
He said we didn’t look at the polls in deciding to join the coalition of the willing and we won’t look at them to determine an exit strategy. In other words, we ignored the people in going to war and we are going to continue to ignore their calls to get out of it. wanker
You’re right, Iain. There certainly is a pattern, as Rowen demonstrated with his comment at Sedgwick’s place:
Any bets/hints as to who the new rorter will be?
Crikey made the allegation about “another South Australian Federal Liberal lady”. There’s quite a few: Trish Worth, Christine Gallus, Jeannie Ferris and Amanda Vanstone. I don’t know whether the claim is true, or which one it refers to, but it does suggest that MPs entitlements are going to stay on the radar for a while. Which is good news for Latham, who has a strong record on these issues.
Latham’s been smart on this – pundits have been going on about skeletons in glass houses etc etc – but he knows a tar baby when he sees one.
Speaking of rorts…the new Medicare ads!!!!
It’s not just the Medicare ads (which I haven’t yet seen). The Government has spent a shitload of money sending anti-refugee propaganda to primary schools, and it has paid $1 million to cancel its planned anti-domestic violence ads — it wants to replace them with new ads featuring John Howard. I mean, for fuck’s sake…
“Today, John Howard decided I was right”. Written like a true tabloid columnist Robbo!
Grrrr… the Medicare ads. I can accept ads that state the facts on changes to Medicare, but not anyone in those ads offering an opinion on those changes.
“Sounds good” professes a Typical Aussie Mum when she is told of the changes. If there’s an opinion expressed on the changes, then surely the ads are party political.