Thread by @VernVerass

"…No-one goes into politics to be in Opposition.

Especially not those of us on the Labor side, the party of initiative and ideas, the party created and sustained by a belief in the power of government to change people’s lives for the better…"

https://twitter.com/nobby15/status/1359008840549761034

"…But - so long as you are in Opposition - you have a fundamental responsibility to hold the government to account – not just on issues of policy but on questions of integrity…"

"…Two wks ago, AnthonyAlbanese asked me 2 take on the portfolio of Shadow Minister for Government Accountability.

This means it’s my job to call-out every gov-rort&racket,every broken promise,every instance of th-Liberals&th-Nationals puttin'their donors&their cronies ahead…"

"… of the national interest.

I share that responsibility with Pat Conroy as Shadow Minister Assisting on Government Accountability and all my colleagues – and indeed, with all the members of the press gallery here today…"

"…Because proper scrutiny and real accountability depends on issues being carried beyond the to-and-fro of parliamentary committees and the theatre of Question Time and into the homes and minds of your readers, listeners and viewers…"

"…So, I’ve come to the National Press Club today to talk about why integrity in politics matters.

Why it matters to the health and strength of our democracy.

And why it matters to the state of our economy and the quality of Australians’ lives…"

"…Because every dollar funnelled into dodgy land deals and sports rorts and splashing cash on executive bonuses for Liberal mates is a dollar that can’t be used to help rebuild the Australian economy after a recession, or properly fund an aged care system overrun by neglect…"

"…Or help families battling cost-of-living pressures, including high childcare costs

Now, I’ve been in politics long enough 2 know there's a view out there that grift&graft&dodgy deals w-donors R just par for the course, the nature of the beast, the cost of doing business…"

"…“Factored in”by voters,'cause ‘all political parties do it’&all politicians Rin it4themselves.

And–4that same reason – I’ve heard it argued that drawin'attention 2individual scandals&corruption& dishonesty&mismanagement only succeeds in damaging standing o-politics itself…"

"…But that’s only half true.

Exposing acts of corruption doesn’t damage the standing of politics.

Corruption itself does that. Even more so when corrupt acts go unpunished. When they’re ignored, or worse, rewarded…"

"…When there R seemingly no consequences 4 gross incompetence&no penalties 4 scandalous negligence – that’s what undermines belief in the system & respect for the institution.

And apathy in the face of incompetence&scandal has been one of th-hallmarks of this gov-for 8 yrs…"

"…Stuart Robert: dumped for using his ministerial position for private interests, now back as a Minister. Despite the MyGov crash and the Robodebt disaster, he still has his job. In fact, he’s been entrusted with a key part of the vaccine rollout!…"

"…Susan Ley: sacked from the frontbench after an expenses scandal, now back as a Minister.

Michaelia Cash misled the Senate on multiple occasions and wouldn’t cooperate with the Australian Federal Police. Now promoted to Deputy Leader in the Senate…"

"…Angus Taylor’s had Grassgate, Watergate, and the forged documents affair, yet still has his job.

Christian Porter failed to deliver religious freedom laws and hasn’t delivered the Government’s Integrity Commission – yet still has his job…"

"…RichardColbeck,a grossly incompetent minister who failed 2act when th-RoyalCommission into AgedCare handed down an interim report titled “Neglect”&who failed 2 act again when COVID hit th-residential aged care sector&685 Australians died on his watch. Censured by th-Senate,…"

"… still has his job.

And when independent bodies like th-AuditOffice find problems – as they have w-the airport dodgy land deal &SportsRorts – ScottMorrison responds by cutting their funding.

In th-world of business,these examples of incompetence would B career-ending…"

"…And a culture so lacking in accountability would have everyone talking about a change of CEO.

In politics, the consequences stretch further than that.

There are real-world problems caused by a failure to uphold integrity in public life…"

"…Democracy has always derived its strength from the consent of the governed, the will of the people.

And when that consent and faith and respect is undermined, democracy is weakened too.

For all its virtues, democracy is a fragile institution…"

"…We saw vivid proof of that last month,th-US Capitol attacks,perpetrated by what President Biden rightly called domestic terrorists&far-right extremists.

We see it too w-the chilling effect of law enforcement &national security laws on freedom of the press in this country…"

"… And it may seem a strange thing for someone who has spent almost 20 years in public life to say, but we must acknowledge that democracy is not necessarily enduring.

The country of my birth, and the beacon of democracy for the world, the United States of America,…"

"… now must rebuild many of the institutions & conventions that support its ‘small d’ democratic government.

What happened in the USA should jolt political parties in a liberal democracy to consider their responsibilities
to preserve the sacred trust between voters,…"

"…elected representatives and governments.

The erosion of conventions and institutions that uphold democratic freedoms in the United States…combined with the easy and emotive capacity of social media, disinformation and foreign interference to sway voters,…"

'…is a wakeup call that we must preserve and uphold the bedrocks of Australian democracy, including:

• An independent Australian Electoral Commission
• Compulsory Voting
• The rule of law, an independent judiciary& independent law enforcement & national security agencies…"

"…– with appropriate oversight, especially on intrusive powers
• Freedom of the press and public interest journalism
• Freedoms of religion, association, and speech, and
• Oversight & accountability mechanisms, provided by bodies like the Australian National Audit Office,…"

"…Senate estimates, and state-based Integrity Commissions.

As AnthonyAlbanese noted in his vision statement on democracy at th-end of 2019,th-University of Canberra has found that satisfaction w-Australian democracy has more than halved in th-last decade,down from 86% to 41%…"

"… The Lowy Institute found in 2019 that 22% of Australians support the statement that “in some circumstances, a non-democratic government can be preferable.”

It was a shocking 30% of voters aged 18 to 29 years who agreed with this statement…"

"…As Anthony said,that is dangerous.When th-idealists lose support 4 democracy,cynicism wins&positive change stops.

Distrust&disengagement allow failure 2 go unaddressed,&self-interest 2 B served.

In short,when voters’cynicism grows,politicians like ScottMorrison flourish…"

"…It is much easier for a politician like Scott Morrison to serve his own political purposes if Australians have low expectations and cynical views of their Government.

Whilst the long-term decline in trust in democracy is worrying and creates space for the cynicism,…"

"… it’s also a fact that trust rebounded in 2020 as Australians looked 2 governments 2 protect them during the pandemic.

The national response 2 COVID showed that when the community & political leaders move together. We can still do really big things quickly 2 fix problems,…"

"… protect the vulnerable, & improve people’s lives.

When the pandemic hit, Labor sought to work constructively w-the Gov.

As Leader of the Opposition, Anthony wisely judged that the Australian people wanted & needed their parliamentarians to put aside partisan arguments…"

"… and ensure that health and economic support flowed as soon as possible.

This constructive approach stands in stark contrast to the oppositionist approach taken by the Liberals during the global financial crisis…"

"…But Anthony knew,especially after his many visits 2 communities struck by bushfires ov-last summer, that in a crisis, th-most important duty of elected representatives is 2 deliver support quickly&provide confidence 2 th-Australian people that th-parliament is on their side…"

"… That’s why Labor offered constructive suggestions, such as a wage subsidy, and we supported JobSeeker and JobKeeper legislation quickly through parliament. Where there were gaps, we looked for solutions, not arguments…"

"…JobKeeper has been vital – that’s why Labor proposed it in the first place. There R still 1.6 million Australians relying on this lifeline.

There is still a very long way to go in our recovery, and for many Australians, there is a real fear about what happens next month…"

"… Because the single biggest threat to the Australian economy is this Liberal Government reverting to type.

Already, this year, we’ve seen the most radical, regressive proposals for Industrial Relations since WorkChoices…"

"…Blatant canvassing of junking an election promise and freezing superannuation.

And a Prime Ministerial commitment to cut JobKeeper and JobSeeker, cutting a lifeline for millions of businesses and families – and cutting Australia’s recovery off at the knees…"

"…It’s clear that the government have already flicked the switch from ‘we’re all in this together’ to ‘you’re on your own’.

And while the Prime Minister is out preparing the ground for an austerity agenda of cuts to pay, conditions, super and support…"

"…He continues to treat taxpayers’ money as though it is Liberal Party money.

And the size and scale of this scandal is still not fully understood.

Scott Morrison was up to his neck in the Sports Rorts,…"

"…more than $100 million in taxpayer money overwhelmingly benefiting marginal electorates in the lead up to the 2019 election.

Scott Morrison didn’t care about the thousands of community sports clubs who deserved funding and missed out…"

"…All he cared about was gaming the system to help his Government.

But understand this: SportsRorts is no one-off.

It’s not the biggest nor the worst use and abuse of taxpayers’ money under the Liberals…"

"…Shadow Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher’s budget analysis shows: over the past six years as Treasurer and Prime Minister, Scott Morrison has perfected the art of syphoning billions of public funds into special purpose funds which, sitting as large pots of cash,…"

"…standing ready to be deployed for politically convenient purposes - particularly in the lead up to an election."