I have tried to bite my tongue in recent weeks whenever the subject of the state of Australian politics comes up. Mostly, because I have been worried about losing my cool because the frustration and the disappointment in one of our most important institutions is so great.
As each scandal begins to fade, another one takes its place. To be fair though, some of these are beaten up simply for political purposes but each adds fuel to the fire that is cremating the credibility of our parliament.
Allegations of poor behaviour or disgusting and inappropriate workplace sexual escapades aren’t confined to one party or another either. It just seems that the media have a particular interest in heaping all blame on the coalition and particularly the Prime Minister.
To blame this entirely on the Prime Minister isn’t fair either but he is the bloke in the hot seat and the buck has to stop somewhere.
He has looked under pressure as a result and frankly, even is strongest backers would say that he has made a few mistakes. Non-of them individually fatal but collectively they have done quite a bit of damage.
What’s struck me about the political events of recent weeks though is how self-serving they are.
One minister, Christian Porter has been faced trial by media for allegations that are almost impossible to disprove because the non-complainant is dead and the terrible personal damage has been done. Personally, I find the conduct of the ABC and Labor and Greens politicians to be reprehensible…and hypocritical.
Many of these same people have ignored or dismissed allegations of sexual abuse, drug abuse, harassment, misogyny and all manner of other stuff in their own ranks.
The complain about every perceived slight by a coalition member as a sexist or racist attack while excusing their own. I remember when Penny Wong went off about a coalition MP instinctively ‘meaowing’ at her during one of her Senate estimate rants. The MP in question apologised and was right to do so.
However when a Labor MP did exactly the same thing to a female coalition member, Wong’s high principle was abandoned for the benefit of the tribe.
Same thing in the Greens, their party has been wracked by claims of a culture of bullying and sexual harassment. This week Larissa Waters was forced to apologise ( under threat of legal action) for essentially claiming a coalition minister endorsed rape. Did you see much of that vile behaviour reported in the media?
I guess not and here’s something else you won’t read much about.
The disgusting perverts who filmed themselves performing solo and partnered sex acts on MPs desks are homosexuals. Their actions were a form of pathetic payback for MPs who voted against same sex marriage.
It wasn’t about an anti-woman culture in parliament house, it was their own sordid affirmation of gay culture within parliament house.
And what about the claims of a former minister having homosexual prostitutes procured for his indulgence within the parliament. Surely that should appal most Australians and now that the claim is in the public domain, people are openly speculating on who it might be.
Just like in the Porter case, there is one name that keeps coming up in the political whisper zone. Do you think any of the reporters who hounded Porter into a crushing press conference are contacting this former minister to publicly deny the claims?
Do you think he’ll be forced into a press conference to explain the allegations? Will his post parliamentary career be damaged? Somehow I think not, mostly because of the protection racket that exists where only some people are held to particular public standards.
Well here’s the thing.
If a former minister has been part of a clandestine gay sex ring involving rent boys in parliament house, then the current government and future governments, every politician, every business should have nothing to do with them.
They will have undermined almost every tenet of what it means to be an open, honest and accountable MP. They will also have potentially compromised themselves and their ministerial duties. It is an unforgivable betrayal of the Australian people and it cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.
An allegation has been made. We have seen decent men’s careers destroyed for less. It’s now time to see if it is the principle or the tribe that determines just the level of outrage.
After all, didn’t some wokester tell us once that the standard you are prepared to walk past is the standard you are prepared to accept.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
Australia is being let down by a government that doesn't know what to do or how to do it. The pressure of underperformance is starting to show and we are all paying the price.
The Prime Minister has a delicate balancing act ahead of him. He needs to muscle up to China while re-establishing important trade markets for our products.
