Now we know why Gladys Berejiklian turned a blind eye to Daryl Maguire’s sleaze and grifting at the expense of taxpayers. It wasn’t because she was besotted with Maguire. It was because, seemingly, she believes misusing taxpayer funds is entirely legitimate.
It wasn’t that she allowed her integrity to be besmirched by a romantic mistake — she had no integrity in the first place.
What else to conclude from her defence of what she has now acknowledged was the pork-barrelling of the quarter-billion-dollar Stronger Communities Fund, with nearly all of the money going to Coalition voters only?
“It’s not an illegal practice,” the premier insists. “Governments in all positions make commitments to the community in order to curry favour. I think that’s part of the political process whether we like it or not.”
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“It’s not something that I know that the community is comfortable with and if [pork-barrelling] is the accusation made on this occasion … well then I’m happy to accept that commentary.”
Strangely, Berejiklian’s sudden ‘fessing up to rorting taxpayer funds for political purposes, to “curry favour” in her words, only happened after the attempt by her office to cover up the rorting by shredding documents detailing their role in the allocation of the funds — a role they had no legal authority to perform — came undone.
(In a reminder that one should always delete the backup, the documents were retrieved through a forensic IT process.)
If Berejiklian was relaxed about using taxpayer funds for political purposes, why would she care that Daryl Maguire was also misusing taxpayer funds, his office and his connection with her?
The premier plainly thinks she is untouchable; that the absence of any widely-accepted successor and her popularity over the handling of the pandemic — Ruby Princess tragedy notwithstanding — means she can act with impunity, even if it means admitting to voters she uses their money to suit her own political agenda, not for the betterment of NSW.
But however secure Berejiklian thinks her reign is, she rules over a swamp of sleaze and filth. The bad old days of NSW are back, after barely being gone for five minutes: MPs misusing the system for their own enrichment, governments blatantly rorting taxpayer funds for political purposes, cover-ups at the highest level, developers having walk-in access at the highest levels, a workers’ compensation body neck-deep in scandal and a treasurer crippled by his association with it.
Meantime, ICAC begs for more funding to enable it to keep up with the tide of corruption — a request Berejiklian has rejected.
Just a few months ago, Berejiklian commanded respect as a strong, competent, trustworthy leader. Now look at her. Rarely has a political transformation been so rapid — and so complete.
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It is sad to see the extent of corruption. Worse is the Premier’s claim “loud and proud” that she is untouchable.
It starts at preselection for major party endorsement. All duty to the electors is suppressed in favour of the party machine. Its purpose then is to retain power. This illustrates the means it considers acceptable.
If that is not corruption, its definition is wrong in law.
The party machine pre selection sure makes a parliament and voting, a behind the eight ball loaded base mockery out of democracy..
Australia is fast coming to a crossroads due to too much advice being given at political advisor level as how to obtain the best outcome for their donors.
Soon we will need to decide on an American tribal system or the grassroots of some of the safest seats will find themselves a suitable independent candidate, such as Zali Steggel.
It’s an extension of what was normalised in the past – a next step as it were. Once wealth paid no Capital Gains Tax and affairs could be arranged so that zero tax overall was paid. There were and are still the Pitt St farmers rorting the tax system seemingly cheered on by the hoi poloi, then Howard’s GST greenlighted tradies to reduce their tax liabilities. Self interest (always trying) became legitimised and now looks to more creative ways to express itself.
Mr Keane, I remember the days you used to wax lyrical about the Berejiklian Government being the best in Australia. Those of us following more closely knew it was rotten. You could see it in a “whatever it takes” privatisation program. You could see it in the shenanigans in local branch stacking. ‘Twas ever thus in NSW, and there’s no reason to see this government as any different to most of those post-skin.
As they say in The Wire, “they always disappoint.”
Yes, it’s been a long, steep step down for Bernard as well as Glad. And now here he’s not even trying to mitigate his criticism with a side-swipe at Andrews’ Victorian government.
To stick up for a bit, the Ruby Princess debacle and aged care debacles are all at the hands of the feds although slippery Scotty seems to have dodged all that too.
Just for accuracy sake, the Plague Princess has been stitched up between the NSW/Feds.
The Walker QC Whitewash found that it was the releaseof infected passengers was fault of the shipping company.
Which was heading into bankruptcy & liquidation at the time.
All the aggrieved in the current class actions are suing a company without assets.
Permission to speak, sir. You’re too young to remember but me and Sergeant Keane gave the NSW fuzzy wuzzies plenty of cold steel before you were even born and I can tell you they didn’t like gettin’ it up ’em, not one bit
Thank you, Jones; most edifying to be reminded graphically of your savage exploits long ago in penal colonies so remote from Walmington-on-Sea.
No point really, is there?
One state has a premier who actually cares about his fellow men and women and the other has a premier’s explanation of Pork Barrelling on an industrial scale as”Too bad, so sad (not!), it isn’t illegal”. Says it all, eh Bernard?
Actually cares or is an accomplished actor; in which case we are back to square one.
I think that makes this critique all the more credible
You could say it’s the “cost fan tutti’ defence; “everybody’s doing it”.
Ouch!
Strong? Competent, Trustworthy? What planet are you living on Bernard? In March 2019, in spite of an embarring leak against the then Opposition Leader, & in spite of massive porkbarreling, Binchicken was only just barely able to squeak in with a 2-seat majority-provided entirely by her junior partners in the National Party.Since then, her extremely poor leadership qualities have only been further exposed. Her cuts to the RFS helped contribute to an horrendous fire season in 2019-20; her health minister utterly dropped the ball in regards to Ruby Princess, yet he was allowed to keep his job; recordings revealed the extent to which she was prepared to turn a blind-eye to corruption by her boyfriend; after demanding the media respect her privacy, yet was happy to use friendly media outlets to soften her image & make her out to be the victim in this corruption business; she put on a “tough guy” act with the Nats, only to capitulate to them immediately after…..then punished the one MP who actually stood up for what she believed in. Now these latest scandals…..the hagiography on display from you and other partisan hacks merely exposes how much our media-even Crikey-has become a slave to the Cult of Personality.
Well put.
Her recently minted reputation for some kind of integrity was flawed. Just recall the months of repeated bare-faced denial of the existence of a deal to prevent Newcastle having a container port. Persisted in until the Newcastle Herald produced the document.
Still it won’t get rid of her. She is getting protection from Murdoch Sky and others so 85 percent of the media
Indeed. Until the front page of the Tele and the HeraldSun goes after her for a couple of weeks, she knows she could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and still be supported.