Corruption and climate change

Notwithstanding the perpetuation of known risk factors associated with corruption and notwithstanding what we have seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, the fact is that we, the naïve and gullible public, are expected to trust that all politicians are exercising all virtues at all times. The expectation is as laughable as political assurances of honesty, transparency and integrity, and as incredible as their incessant representations about acting in our best interests.

In the face of our own experience and of the present system’s public track record, isn’t it rather odd that in the 21st century no national anti-corruption agency exists with the jurisdiction and powers to investigate claims of misconduct and corruption across the Federal Parliament or Commonwealth agencies? Why is the Commonwealth lagging so far behind? What exactly is going on at the federal level?

The Rudd Government's “Standards of Ministerial Ethics” (PDF 71KB) and the “Lobbying Code of Conduct” are a good start, but are the appropriate penalties imposed "without mercy" for ethical breaches, and does the lobbying code of conduct go anywhere near far enough? And where is anything that gives the community scope to make direct complaints that will be objectively assessed and appropriately investigated? Who do you ring if you have evidence that a Federal pollie or bureaucrat is crooked or “on the take”?

Greens Leader Bob Brown pointed out in August this year:

... The Commonwealth Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner was established in 2006, but its role is restricted to investigating and preventing corruption in the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission. A joint parliamentary committee inquiry is now being held into the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity. The terms of reference include expanding its role to other Commonwealth agencies. But the inquiry has just started and no date is specified the tabling of its report. Importantly, there is no suggestion in the terms of reference to include parliamentarians ...

Surely the existence of such an agency, with so wide a jurisdiction, can’t be anything but acceptable and desirable if the Federal politicians are one half as transparent and one half as "clean" as they say they are?

After all, our Federal Politicians would no doubt understand that on the back of allegations about the existence of a “Greenhouse Mafia”, about Australia’s involvement with the “Umbrella Group”, and about the payment of large unwarranted subsidies to various industries which seem to have preferential political access, that citizens might sleep a little easier knowing that a mechanism exists for them to voice their concerns and check the integrity and veracity of their elected representatives and the way they do business. In fact, I'm sure any honest politicians would sleep better too!

Now this is not a diatribe against corrupt politicians. It's about fighting corruption before we can deal properly with climate change, and it’s a call to identify and eliminate corruption in the many forms described by Transparency International. That process has to start at the top. Corruption is endemic in politics and business, and over time it has become systemic. I'm not alone in making this call: in 2008 the Global Corruption Report Corruption in the Water Sector stated that “... In Europe, North America and Australia, corrupt practices involving or affecting water resources and services are not uncommon ...”

This year the Global Corruption Report Global Corruption Report 2009: Corruption and the Private Sector (GCR) examined the scale of global corruption resulting from bribery, price-fixing cartels and undue influence on public policy which is costing billions and obstructing the path towards sustainable economic growth. Unfortunately for us, Australia was not included in the final report.

The problem of corruption in Australia is recognised internationally, and it's also universally recognised at an individual level within Australia, but where is the community outrage? Why are our investigative journalists not poking and prodding? Exactly when did corruption get rebadged and legitimised as lobbying? Have the press and the public become so jaded they've given up on expecting honesty and integrity from all three tiers of government, as has been suggested?

We need to address corruption and we need to start now. Unless we do that we won't be able to formulate the best available solutions to climate change, and climate change isn't waiting for any of us.