Parliament House does indeed need a clean up but it has needed that for a very, very long time.
There's never been a better time to be a former politician...or better still someone who has never been involved in politics.
The current carry-on in Canberra is disgusting.
Let me be clear, there have been tales of trysts between consenting political players for ever but it has never reached these depths of depravity. Many of these stories would be true but ascertaining the 'fabricated for political purposes' against the 'what others do in their private lives is none of my business' is almost impossible.
These liaisons can also be quite tangled. They often involve spousal infidelity but are between consenting adults. While this may be considered immoral, adultery isn't illegal.
That's typically been the justification for the non-reporting of politicians private lives. But there are also other factors to consider.
Relationships between politicians and journalists are not unusual in Canberra. It's one way for a politician to ensure nice things are written about you I suppose but when it ends....look out!
I've seen some previously protected politicians' careers explode when their gallery relationship ends and all the hushed up material suddenly spews into the public domain.
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