Fitzgerald’s outburst is over the top
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Tony Fitzgerald isn’t interested in shades of grey. His attack on Queensland governments of both sides last night was couched in black and white. Wayne Goss and Matt Foley pursued his reforms in the early 90s, but thereafter the whole country moved to the right, along with Queensland, and the Nationals, who were still unfit to govern, got back in. Then Peter Beattie was elected and found success appealing to those who had supported Bjelke-Petersen.
No wonder Beattie immediately hit back, boasting of his reform record and personal probity. Fitzgerald seems to suggest the problem is with Queensland itself, which is too conservative, and its political parties too short-sighted, to ever pursue genuine reform. His analysis is too simplistic — so much so that it doesn’t do anything to assist those trying to pursue reform. A significant problem with the Beattie Government was Beattie’s own lack of judgement about his ministers, a number of whom had serious lapses in probity or committed criminal acts. To an extent he was captive to the quality of ministers and staff served up to him by Queensland Labor’s factions. But Beattie’s style was a contributing factor. A former Minister — in one of the state’s most sensitive portfolios — told Crikey of how they had approached Beattie to complain that their advisers, who had been placed there by factional leaders, were so inept that they were simply unable to effectively operate as a Minister. But Beattie politely fobbed off the request for help. Beattie was also an expert at blustering about how he was determined to address impropriety, but never putting in place any structures or systems to deal with it. Now the longevity of Labor rule in Queensland — with only a two-year spell out of office over the last two decades — is haunting Anna Bligh’s government. Queensland business is riddled with former senior Labor ministers whose connections within the government, the Labor Unity faction and the bureaucracy are highly-valued. Sometimes the value of regular rotations of governments are clear. In contrast to the implication of Fitzgerald’s criticism, Bligh — who has had her own, albeit minor, difficulties with electoral disclosure — has taken significant steps toward greater accountability than that seen under Beattie. The State’s FOI laws — the tool for some of the most egregious abuses of executive power in the Beattie era — are being comprehensively reformed, including greater access to Cabinet documents. And Bligh’s lobbyist code of conduct goes further than Kevin Rudd’s, imposing a two-year cooling off period for former ministers rather than eighteen months. Her Lobbyist Register requires lobbyists to list clients stretching back twelve months, rather than only their current clients, providing greater information about business-lobbyist links than under the Commonwealth register, which only provides a current snapshot of who is representing whom. Bligh’s register also requires the identification of success fees, where lobbyists earn a bonus if their lobbying efforts are successful. Today Bligh went further and announced that success fees will be banned — a step that other state governments should urgently adopt. A number of lobbyists have made clear their deep unhappiness with the proposal, according to Bligh Government sources — as have a number of MPs, who can see their post-political prospects shrinking with every advance in transparency. Judging by the reaction, it is clear that success fees play a lot more prominent a role in lobbying in Queensland than the Lobbyist Register entries suggest. Fitzgerald’s assertion that systemic corruption remains part of Queensland culture is hard to sustain. But Anna Bligh has major problems with a Queensland Labor culture of lobbying and looking after mates. Transparency is the most effective way of dealing with it. |
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17 Comments
Bernard, you are being too kind (or naive). After Fitzgerald, all pollies hated the changes, particularly the CJC. The police lobbied hard to have the CJC defanged and Beattie caved in to them. The CMC, Beattie’s substitute creation, no longer investigates crooked cops, they do it themselves! Because Qld has no upper house to review pollies’ decisions, all governements here run amok at times and feather their mate’s nests. The attitude of ‘the end justifies the means’ created in the Bjelke Petersen years still permeates Qld political life. You will recall that Beattie was a great admirer of Petersen. It’s time to clean out the stables again, bring on another Fitzgerald. Alex
Should make for interesting reading in The Australian today. Even allowing for barracking, what about TF’s own experience of being frozen out of high level positions in Qld ever since the Inquiry?
What about the decimation, according to rumour, of the Qld version of ICAC, the CJC, CMC or whatever it’s called now?
Lee Rhiannon MP (Greens in NSW), who sponsors the ground breaking democracy4sale website, has just issued this media release below as lite reading for the ALP tribes as they gather for their national conference - you can at least be sure there is no corporation money behind this:
Greens MP Lee Rhiannon - Media Release - 29 July 2009
ICAC should follow QLD lead and investigate political fundraisers
Greens MP and donations spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is calling on ICAC to follow its QLD cousin’s lead and launch a systemic investigation into the corrupting influence of political fundraisers and donations (‘Inquiry into meetings with politicians’, p.4, SMH, today). A national anti-corruption conference is being held in Brisbane today, hosted by ICAC and its equivalents in QLD and WA.
Ms Rhiannon says the practice of corporations paying for access to MPs is highlighted by the start of tomorrow’s National ALP Conference at Darling Harbour. Business observers are being invited to pay $7,500 per person to attend special meetings, briefings and social functions. (See [website])
“Queensland’s Crime and Misconduct Commission is investigating the practice of corporations paying for access meetings with politicians. This shows the tide has turned and fundraisers and donations should be investigated in NSW,” Ms Rhiannon said.
“Today QLD Premier Anna Bligh is launching a donations discussion paper proposing a ban on these kinds of practices. This puts new pressure on Premier Rees to act to clean up fundraisers and political donations.
“To date ICAC has baulked at undertaking specific investigations into possible corruption identified by the Greens as a result of fundraisers and donations to political parties.
“In 2008 my colleague Sylvia Hale asked ICAC to investigate donations from property developers to political parties and candidates, handing over 300 pages of evidence. She alleged donations contributed to a systemic corruption of the planning system in NSW.
“ICAC should follow Queensland’s lead and recommend ways to fireproof democracy from the corrupting influence of donations and fundraisers.
“The public feels uncomfortable with the government inviting big business to pay for exclusive access to politicians.
“Yet the major parties in NSW continue to lure corporations into paying big money to attend functions where it is offered the ear of government.
“Premier Rees must now recognise that voters are rightly cynical about the practice of buying access to politicians and act to remedy the situation,” Ms Rhiannon said.
Bernard is also very generous to Beattie who was in the habit of stating, “there will be no more of this…”, except just once more for my little mate. So Beattie said (about 1999) no more canal estates - and then had the Queensland Government build one at Magnetic Island in 2001-03. Beattie said - no more jobs for the boys (including himself) after leaving office - and then took one himself as Queensland trade rep in the USA.
Beattie said he would have transparent government processes - and about 2005 arranged for his treasurer (Anna Bligh) to create legislation that would take certain coastal development projects out of the standard planning process to become untouchable in any Queensland court. For example casino land [seabed] at Townsville slated to become a 700 dwelling canal will be assessed inhouse by the government - not in a standard environmental process appealable in an environmental court. Bligh herself wrote that the purpose of the legislation was to protect such developments from “third party appeals”. The developer will be CityPacific if it ever gets another credit rating. Will it get a government guarantee?
This kind of sleazy backroom job is actually worse than the blatant dodgy practices of the Joh and Russ Hinze era because writers like our Bernard dress it up as post-Fitzgerald pragmatism when in fact it is self serving indulgence of the “Whatever it takes…” variety.
Very courageous Bernard, but then not a very ethical article. Every piece of evidence points to Fitzgerald being correct. And I could be wrong but I am sure his past deeds probably gives him a bit of a licence to have a say on this matter. But then how could Fitzgerald’s past track record possibly compete with the brilliant rantings of a fantatical left wing showman like Keane.
Even after we have had a conga line of QLD ALP politicians line up for jail in recent years, Keane still declares the system clean.
It just goes to show that he will excuse any left wing corrupt government if it means keeping the right wing out of office.
Keane’s arguements are impossible to sustain, he should move on, his credibility is shot.
I remember one instance where a former Beattie Minister told one Brisbane reporter they didn’t need to answer questions about relationships as a third party lobbyist because they “were no longer in Parliament”, having left Parliament two months earlier. This may be so, but it was the arrogance with which they said it, as if to say “f- off, I am untouchable”. A quick check of their interests on the Lobbyist Register shows association with serveral of the largest property developers in Queensland, including one whose interests were defended in Crikey! last week.
I am not suggesting there has been anything untoward here, but unfortunately the actions of Ministers in Queensland governments of the immediate past means that former Ministers and MPs making political introductions and being paid success fees is murky.
Bernard, are you unfamiliar with 50’s era QLD labour and the national hotel inquiry which found murders & corruption far worse than Fitzgerald? Goss govt shredding embarrassing child abuse reports late at night? More than a few stars of Fitzgerald’s inquiry not being charged or going to jail? Were they labour donors involved in branch stacking? Did ministers go from cabinet to coal miners, property developers, cyclone rebuilding? Gordon Nuttall is merely the latest, most blatant in a long line, labour are merely better at the spin doctoring, making it appear different to what it is.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who believes our government here stinks. I had a brief chat with Wayne Goss late last year and without commenting too much, I could tell he was disappointed with how Beattie behaved in office. Certainly, Fitzgerald is right about how stacks of documents were rolled in and out of the (sometimes empty) cabinet meeting room so they could be declared ‘in confidence’ and safe from FOI. I have a close relative who worked there and had actually done it a number of times. As for ex pollies largesse, I know that a recent ex-Treasurer who is now a property multi millionaire started his property development activities while he was still a Minister. The jury is out on Bligh - she must have a sweeping and probing judicial investigation to clear this up otherwise she will be tarred with the same brush as the rest of them. Alex
Bernard,
Tony Fitzgerald was 100% correct in what he said. Access CAN be purchased. No major infrastructure project proceeds without paying off the network of former ALP types. As for success fees, why not try following the money on the BrisCon debacle. There were certainly some interesting success fees paid there… and that project is not exactly a success (and provides an outstanding example of conflicts of interest).
Beattie’s personal failings were, I believe, a significant contributor to his failure to enforce standards in his cabinet. Anna Bligh is, I believe, doing her best to contribute to a culture of reform but, as always, cui bono? There are too many fat pay cheques going to former politicians and apparatchiks so Anna is going to continue to find inordinate amounts of opposition to her plans.
Queensland probably needs another Fitzgerald Inquiry but this time to examine the links between government, business and former government types.
Sorry Bernard but Beattie capitalised on the past. He used the simplistic, apathetic and disheartened nature of the state electorate to foster personal and Party ideals. Far worse than Joh he preyed on a host of naive ditzy candidates by manipulating personal and parliamentary lives to suit his agenda. Months ago the Enhance Group’s Ross Fitzgerald came under scrutiny as a former Beattie staffer cutting a dodgy swathe with old state colleagues, as did former Qld Federal Labor Minister for Vets Affairs Con Sciacca. The northern state harbours a hive of wheeling, dealing miscreants all way off our national media radar. As our PM said only yesterday about national health ” State and federal Governments have beaten their chests with mock indignation all in the hope that bluff and bluster would pass for action. You know it as I do that this approach has not served our country well.” Rudd could have been summing up the political history of Queensland.
We have to remember what Mr Fitzgerald has said: coalition conservative Queensland government of R. Borbidge was brought to power with the help of Queensland police union. This is more than alarming! Mr. Fitzgerald warns us that police is capable of acting as underground political force. Therefore, it is particularly important that attention to corruption and misconduct in Queensland police should not be less than attention to corruption among politicians.
What is just as alarming Andreas Berg is you more concerned with a Premier from last century (who never had a minister found guilty of anything) than you are of the current mob led by Anna Bligh who are just lining up to go to the big house.
But why stop there, we don’t we go back 20 years, 30 years, 40 years…. where do we stop. What is apparent is the ALP supporters are trying to excuse the corruption of their current heroes by pointing at the distant past.
Joh and his corrupt ministers happened 20 years ago - and most of them went to jail (and rightly so). Lets now focus on the present - everyone knows they are dodgy - why not have another commission?
When it’s the Coalition in power it’s called business as normal. Under the ALP it’s corruption, and rightly so, they’re held to a higher standard. How many pollies ended up in jail after Fitzgerald? Corrupted pollies are being caught and put in jail, something is now working surely! If there’s a worry it’s in the Police Union, by any measure a look at the Palm Island disgrace is proof of that, a lesson in how to get away with murder. Where were these high profile personalities speaking out under the disgraces of the Howard era. Could it be they fear less now as apposed t0 being fearless. Or is it a true reflection of the rightwing bias now pervading the media in what we get to hear, see or read.
Wow, talk about being desparate Phil. Lets have a look at some of this crap you just wrote.
First, 4 politicians went to jail after Fitzgerald, one died from cancer before he could go to trial and Joh got off. But then, we should not expect you to know the history, considering the rubbish you just wrote is full of fiction that JK Rowling would be proud of.
Anyone who knows the history of Palm Island knows the policeman at the centre was a decent copper (accepted within both sides of politics). It is also generally accepted by both sides that he probably did not ‘murder’ Mulrunji Doomadgee, and this was the verdict of the real coroner.
Perhaps you were not aware the cop also volunteered to work out there, or that this was his 2nd volunteered rotation out there? Never mind, it was probably just his plan so he could kill an aboriginal.
I could go on, but then you are beyond help on this issue.
The media is not bias, but those of us on the conservative side are enjoying watching you left wing loonies running around with paranoia about it - frickin’ hilarious.
Phil if you are anything other than a first year uni student I would be very worried. But if you are a labor staffer, I would not be at all surprised, the quality and accuracy of your work would be on par with the rest of your colleagues.
Pedro, DO go back as far as the 1950’s when LABOUR were in power in QLD. The “National Hotel” royal commission found murders and corruption far worse than Fitzgerald did. That’s how the coalition eventually ending with JOH, won office in the first place. The father of an old friend of mine was cooking up moonshine rum and it was delivered to pubs, all over southern Brisbane from Kangaroo Point to Beenleigh by plain clothes CIB detectives in unmarked police cars.
Twenty years have passed since Fitzgerald Inquiry. It is time to examine by a new inquiry of this kind how its lessons have been learned. The latest CMC report, public unrest surrounded sergeant Hurley’s case, Haneef’s affair etc. suggest the necessity of a new inquiry. Corruption and misconduct in police can be much deeper than it seems. For example, I am in possession of solid evidence that some Queensland police officers could be guilty of torture, perjury, fabricating evidence, conspiring to defeat justice and attempting to pervert justice.
I don’t think that Mr. Fitzgerald aims “to attack” Mr. Beattie. What would be a benefit of this for him? No, Mr. Fitzgerald is fighting again for the present and future of Queensland, where certain politicians and police officers tend to forget the lessons of Fitzgerald inquiry. Hopefully, the people of Queensland do not want to live once again in a corrupted “police state”.
What Nigel Pope said.
Plus: “Fitzgerald’s assertion that systemic corruption remains part of Queensland culture is hard to sustain” - maybe if you read the Spurious-Tale, not if you have eyes, ears and a brain.
QIC = Trevor Rowe = Rothschild = Bank doing ‘asset sales’!
Desal Plant at Tugun - Apparently we forgot to get a warranty.
Fluoridation.
Coal.
The ‘Insurance Industry Crisis’ - punitive personal injuries laws and no drop in premiums but lots of limits and controls on ‘fun’ things like school fetes and street fairs.
Traveston crossing dam - Ever been there? It’s flat. The dam will be about 8m deep and when it rains every few years it will still flood anyway. Beattie announced it out of the blue without any discussion or warning, he confronted angry locals with: “The deal is done.”
Ripped up miles of railway at huge expense, because…?
Anti-Protest laws - harsher than China’s!
Private prisons.
You see, up here it’s a mono-media town of hokey pokey incestuous relationships where the ABC is literally in bed with Murdoch. No upper house. No transparency, no accountability, no real journalism.
Bernard, you either don’t live up here and/or you are too credulously accepting of the official narrative. It’s crook as buggery! Fitzgerald is only guilty of moderate understatement.
It’s only corruption when the rightards don’t get a generous piece of the pie.
Don’t the pigs squeal when they can’t get to the trough.