Something’s rotten in the State of NSW

Something’s rotten in the State of NSW

BY ALEX EUGENE

Australia is more corrupt than 12 other countries around the globe, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark. We’ve been ranked 13th by Transparency International, the global coalition working in 80 countries worldwide, fighting against corruption in governments.

Michael Ahrens, Director of Transparency International Australia, spoke at last week’s legendary Politics in the Pub gathering in Surry Hills, to discuss and build awareness around the need for a federal level ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption).

Mr Ahrens said that while it was good we were high on the list, it was alarming that Australia had dropped out of the top ten and showed signs of continuing to fall.

Third world and communist countries ranked the lowest on the list, with North Korea coming in last.

Lee Rhiannon, Greens Senator for NSW had been billed to speak at the event, but at the last moment was called away to Palestine and did not make an appearance.

Though disappointed audience members yelled out for an explanation, Geoffrey Watson SC said he was pleased to take Ms Rhiannon’s place.

Mr Watson said that currently, Australia only had “a few poorly funded, poorly integrated” anti-corruption agencies, who did a good job but were no substitute for a federal ICAC.

He said corruption was, without a doubt, the most serious crime “on the face of the planet”, which allowed other forms of crime to thrive, such as the world drug trade. Mr Watson said conservative estimates put the cost of corruption at around $3 trillion annually, more than twice the value of Australia’s economy.

Several prominent Australian business people and politicians were named in the shocking exposure of the 2015 Panama Papers, a collection of documents leaked which named over 11 million offshore accounts worldwide that were used for illegal purposes, including fraud, tax evasion, and sidestepping international sanctions.

More recently, a former Australian of Year finalist was accused of rorting over $600 million when she was chief executive of an Immigrant Women’s Health Service and a Non-English Speaking Housing Women’s Scheme. A national ICAC investigated and exposed the scandal this year.

Big organisations and political groups needed to be under the eye of a federal watchdog, Mr Watson said. Because corruption routinely takes place in secret and amongst knowledgeable people, it often managed to fly under the radar of ordinary legal powers.

A properly funded federal ICAC would be able to override this, and ideally would conduct all its investigations publicly – as accountability and transparency were exactly what corruption thrived on avoiding.

Senator Lee Rhiannon said in a recent statement “confidence in the political process is low, with the public increasingly cynical of the idea that politicians represent their interests over corporate interests.”

She has formerly committed to supporting a Senate submission to set up a National ICAC, which the Greens have tried to get through Parliament in the past, but so far have been blocked by Liberal, National and Labour MPs.

You May Also Like

Comments are closed.