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Having reflected on this some more over the weekend, a Royal Commission convened from the UK would not be an appropriate means to deal with corruption in Australia after all. Apparently there is no legal instrument for it anyway, but even if there were, it could drag on for years and only provide a temporary fix.
So the true answer lies in changing our governance, by making political parties and independents publicly funded. Political donations of any kind need to be illegal. This year’s election provides an opportunity for our corrupted democracy to repair itself, if it can just get onto the national radar and into at least one party manifesto. Such an outcome would be an example for other countries to follow.
Viewing some recent news events, it seems likely we’ll be in for some astonishing revelations about corruption in the near future.
In the final analysis, maybe the whole Pulp Mill debacle will have served a purpose in helping to expose it? Is it too much to hope that at least some of Gunns’ $3 billion debts will be found and recovered from the corrupt money trail?
This observation first published as comment on this item, This is a wake up call. Comment on either
