Because of Queenslands chequered political history and the behaviour of the current government, all political parties were recently asked to acknowledge good governance obligations expressed in very simple terms; that is, to: ***make all decisions and take all actions, including public appointments, in the public interest without regard to personal, party political or other immaterial considerations; ***treat all people equally without permitting any person or corporation special access or influence; and ***promptly and accurately inform the public of its reasons for all significant or potentially controversial decisions and actions Bizarrely, the Liberal National Party alone is refusing to commit to those constraints or to explain its reasons. In doing so, it has ensured that political standards are a critically important, indeed the most important, election issue. It is effectively telling voters that, if it is elected, it will do as it pleases; in effect, it will continue the behaviour which marked its first term and led to its heavy losses in recent by-elections. It would be sheer folly for anyone concerned to live in freedom in a democracy to vote for a political party which refuses to accept that there are limits on the proper exercise of democratic political power. Tony Fitzgerald AC QC was chair of the Fitzgerald Inquiry. View his full profile abc.net.au/news/thedrum/tony-fitzgerald/5233736. abc.net.au/news/2015-01-23/fitzgerald-queensland-political-ethics/6043248
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 00:31:35 +0000
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