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Let those without sin

By John Slater - posted Wednesday, 22 July 2015


Where also do these statements leave shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who just a few years ago billed two nights at a luxury ski resort to the Commonwealth credit card?

As a respected Queens Counsel and former first law officer of the Commonwealth, what justification did Dreyfus have for leaving longsuffering taxpayers to foot the bill for his family's mid-winter getaway?

Even the Greens; the self-styled lone apostles of virtue and integrity in Australian politics cannot claim to be sin free when it comes to heavy handedness with the public purse. Senator Larissa Waters spent more than any other Queensland state or federal MP refurbishing her plush electorate office in the inner city suburb of Paddington, including outdoor patio and artificial turf. At a cost of $414 000, the only MP to outspend Waters across the whole country was South Australian Senator Anne Ruston.

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There is good reason for both sides of politics when discussing the use and abuse of politician's entitlements to tone down the righteous grandstanding and puerile pot shots. This is because with endless travel commitments and vaguely drafted rules, MP's from all parties have found themselves guilty of erring on the side of profligacy more often than parsimoniousness.

The public's disdain for Australia's political class is already at an all-time high. Rather than parading every incident of entitlement overreach as evidence of one sides moral impropriety, a more fruitful solution would be a clearer set of rules so that politician's are given clarity from the outset about expenses are covered. On this front, the mooted idea of an independent office tasked with approving all expenditures sounds promising, if somewhat impractical. But Labor would do well to realise that continuing to scapegoat Bishop is hypocrisy writ large.

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About the Author

John Slater is a student and an intern at the Cato Institute.

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All articles by John Slater

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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