Book Review: Kevin's 'A Certain Maritime Incident: the Sinking of SIEV X'

That may occur too late for this election, but that matters less than the recognition that some of the fundamentals of Australian democracy may be at risk unless we have a radical change in the body politic.

As for any reader, for me the question that remains from this book is this: if the government is right to argue that this was no more and no less than a tragic accident, why is and was the obfuscation, deceit and tortuous use of language, all of which are very clearly documented in the book, necessary? A judicial inquiry could prove the government right. I do not believe it would but that is not the point. The way to clear the government's name, and that is what is at stake, is to have that inquiry. If John Howard wants trust to be centre stage in this election and have his tenure renewed on the basis of the nation's trust in him, then let's have that inquiry, Honest John.

This election is about security, Medicare, education, interest rates, etc. It is also about trust and more generally public values. Kevin's book needs to be read by all Australians who seek to be part of a decent society and who want to place their trust in good governance. That decency and trust can only be achieved through more openness and transparency in public life and a return to the values of honest, open government that we have come to acknowledge in the past as being based on "Aussie values".

To start to rebuild these values, an important first step is that whoever is returned at the federal election on 9 October set up a judicial inquiry into SIEV X. All of us deserve that.