Yesterday I highlighted the government's hypocrisy over corruption by pointing out that difference between the rules Ministers set for themselves, and the rules they set for public servants. Today, we have a concrete example of this: everybody's favourite banker, Westpac, is offering public servants rugby world cup tickets in an effort to buy influence. Because our public service is fair, impartial, responsible, and trustworthy - and must be seen to be so - they cannot accept them. Of course, its a different story for Ministers. Which I guess tells us that those Ministers are not fair, impartial, responsible, and trustworthy, but rather for sale.
It would be nice if our Ministers displayed some integrity, and refused such gifts. That way they'd be showing that they took the trust we have placed in them seriously. Instead, they are betraying that trust, and betraying us, by treating their elected positions as an opportunity for private profit. That is absolutely not acceptable, and we should tell them that at the ballot box.
