Comments on: Rudd and Swan totally exonerated by Auditor-General report

By: Heathdon McGregor

Heathdon McGregor — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:49:35 +0000

Is Mr Grech Machievalli, who manipulated the power behind the scene? or is he Gollum whose lust for power drove him mad?

By: j-boy57

j-boy57 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:00:45 +0000

John Howard might have broken the nations heart
Malcolm Turnbulls disemboweled the Liberal Party

By: davidk

davidk — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:00:09 +0000

seems to me this culture of doing whatever it takes to please the minister or PM has arisen after a decade of liberal rule.

By: Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:46:45 +0000

I agree with Evan and Edward. Surely Turnbull and Abetz recognised the Walter Mitty elements to Grech, if not, his willingness to step outside protocols at dire costs for a career public servant. I’d like to ask Turnbull and Abetz why their radars weren’t working or are there a swag of partisan public servants running amok in a service heavily ‘politicised’ by Howard. Questions about Treasury certainly hover - does the buck stop with Henry or Swan? Can’t wait for the next sitting.

By: Venise Alstergren

Venise Alstergren — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:14:28 +0000

Yes, a very finely balanced article BK but I tend to agree with EVAN BEAVER. A discrete kick in the guts for Malcolm Turnbull wouldn’t have gone astray.
EDWARD RUSSELL has a very fine understanding of the mentality of the wretched Godwin Grech. What a devastating scenario for a wee little man whom the Liberal Party had made feel important; possibly for the first time in his life.
With John Howard as PM Godwin could assure himself he was vital to the very running of the country. A change of government and he’s back to square one. And he is bitter.
Shakespeare would have had a field day with this story.

By: Edward Russell

Edward Russell — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:34:47 +0000

I read the Auditor General’s report this morning, and paid careful attention to Grech’s lengthy commentary in Appendix 1. It seems pretty clear to me that Grech was behaving in a way - sloppy administration, wheeling and dealing, dabbling in politics - which had worked well for him, perhaps been encouraged, under the patronage of the previous government.

There were some warning signs that Treasury, on the face of things should have picked up, the Walter Mitty behaviour, the failure to submit documents for renewal of his Secret clearance, his health issues. We don’t know the full story there, however, and Grech is shaping up to be a very unreliable witness.

I don’t necessarily accept that Grech’s workload was responsible for him “snapping”, but his depression, retrospectively diagnosed, according to his statements, might in part have related to his loss of informal stature after the change of government. Mind you, if I had his health problems, that would be enough to depress me.

As a political pessimist, and one-time ministerial chief-of-staff, I was afraid for the worst in respect of the Treasurer and PM, but they have come through as behaving according to the principles they espouse. Let’s hope that continues. A pattern of competence and probity seems to be emerging here.

By: Evan Beaver

Evan Beaver — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:24:43 +0000

A nicely balanced article BK. It would have been easy to drive a knife into Turnbull or the Libs over this one, which they deserve in my opinion.