Well surprise, surprise! A politician has fallen from office based on accusations, dare we say it, of using public money to gain political advantage.

‘Oh the shock!’ we can hear just about anyone who has ever followed federal and state politics say to themselves with more than a generous hint of sarcasm.

The whole ‘sports rort’ saga surrounding former Nationals deputy Senator Bridget McKenzie is an example of embarrassing high-level hypocrisy.

Senator McKenzie resigned from Cabinet this week, a move sparked from pressure ignited by an auditor-general report revealing she had disproportionately allocated grants to clubs in marginal electorates before last year’s election. An internal government investigation then hammered the nail home.

Pork-barrelling more than qualifies as a significant frowned-upon governance sin. It is in essence, deceit. 

But to suggest it is has been something other than the political norm, regardless of which party holds power, is a nonsense.

The idea of granting public money to establish political advantage and shroud it in an argument of dubious veil of justification happens ad nauseum and is particularly obvious in the regions.

Common regional expressions based on struggles to gain government support such as ‘we would do much better if we were in a swinging seat’ don’t emerge by accident.

In our part of the world there have been no shortage of representatives who in advocating strongly for government patronage for all sorts of costly but needy projects, believe they have no hope while competing against marginal electorates.

Pork-barrelling, while rife in its many guises, is against the rules. 

As such, it appears, as with former Keating government minister Ros Kelly years ago and now Senator McKenzie, that the political process every now and then has to wheel out, when opportunity arises, someone to fall on a sword.

It is hard to think this issue is more about whether a minister has made the fundamental mistake of leaving  a ‘paper trail’ than whether what they have done is right or wrong.

Just as astonishing as the political upheaval itself is the apparent outrage perpetuated by commentators, some of them former politicians, who should know better than to try to take any moral high ground on something so ingrained.

We look forward to the day when pork-barrelling has disappeared and is merely something stormy from Australia’s political past. 

But it has been happening since Federation and it is hard to see anything changing. 

 

Hindmarsh shire hopes for better funding result after projects miss out

 

The entire February 5, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!