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Four words that mean the difference between goodies and baddies, to put it into terms our Prime Minister will understand.<\/p>\n
So what do these four words that motivated 100,000 people to March in March really mean?<\/p>\n
Integrity<\/strong> is the adherence to moral and ethical principles.\u00a0 It is demonstrating a sound moral character.\u00a0 It is being honest.<\/p>\n Decency<\/strong> is about being worthy of respect.\u00a0 It is a reflection of adequateness and fairness.\u00a0 Decency is kind, obliging, generous \u2013 suitable and appropriate.<\/p>\n Transparency<\/strong> is showing how everything really is \u2013 see through, nothing hidden \u2013 everything there for all to see. No secrets or lies.<\/p>\n Accountability<\/strong> is the capacity to satisfy an obligation to report, explain, and or justify something.\u00a0 It is demonstrating and honouring the responsibility for being answerable to those who have the right to question.<\/p>\n When I look at the current Federal Parliament I see very little evidence of any of these things.\u00a0 There are good people in Parliament who are there for the right reasons, and do consistently demonstrate these four qualities to the extent they can within a system that is rottenly corrupt \u2013 however it is my view they are very much in the minority.\u00a0 Most are puppets and\/or beneficiaries of big business, or pawns in the game of greed and self-interest and self-importance, fuelled by their own ego.<\/p>\n The integrity, decency, transparency and accountability of our Parliaments, both state and federal, have been in a steady decline for decades.\u00a0 There has always been someone willing to exchange back scratches for time immemorial, however it has now become the norm rather than the exception.\u00a0 The fossil fuel industries lust for more has taken the entanglement of politics and business to a whole new level as we are currently witnessing with the revelations of the NSW Integrity Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) investigation into Australian Water Holdings that flows over into the Federal arena.<\/p>\n We have witnessed the hoodwinking of the Australian public by Murdoch and other main stream media over the duration of the last government, with both News Corp and the LNP telling what has proven to be bare faced lies to the people of Australia.<\/p>\n And so, as we try to pursue our democratic right, and honour our civic responsibility who can be believe? Who can we trust to represent US in OUR government with integrity, decency, transparency? Do you know?<\/p>\n In voting at the last Federal election I made the assumption that the Greens candidate might be my best shot at that.\u00a0 My assessment of this party was that the things they were concerned about \u2013 the environment, renewable energy, climate change, asylum seekers, refugees, public transport infrastructure were all things that would benefit the whole overall.\u00a0 They also didn\u2019t seem to be well supported by big business and got no media coverage.\u00a0 As a Western Australian, I also got to vote again in the Senate.\u00a0 Again Scott Ludlum got my vote \u2013 because he consistently demonstrates he satisfies these four core values that I hold dear in my elected representatives.\u00a0 Louise Pratt got my second vote \u2013 again she met my standards.<\/p>\n This is not about party politics \u2013 this is about the personal values and standards of the people who hold the position of service to the community in being a paid elected representative.\u00a0 They go to the House of REPRESENTATIVES \u2013 the people\u2019s representatives \u2013 not big business\u2019 representatives.<\/p>\n Another reason I was willing to take a punt on the Greens being principled was that they have had a Bill on the table for a Federal Integrity Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) over the period of two governments.\u00a0 Alarmingly, they have not had sufficient support from the two major parties to get it through Parliament.\u00a0 They had another go today in the Senate \u2013 any vote was deferred as it was deemed to be \u201cnot ready\u201d.<\/p>\n There is no community confidence in either our current government or the political system we currently operate with.\u00a0 Politicians have been increasingly thinking it is OK to breach the faith of the people.\u00a0 We first heard it with the \u201ccore promises\u201d and \u201cnon-core\u201d promises.\u00a0 Tony Abbott then made a point of telling us not to believe something he said off the cuff \u2013 we could only believe something if it was a prepared statement.\u00a0 In addition to this, he totally betrayed the Australian people when he campaigned in the election to get their vote, and then delivered the Commission of Audit Report and the 2014 Budget that break so many promises.\u00a0 His interest is in power, not in the common good.\u00a0 He is willing to sell us all out to big business to get \u201cthe top job\u201d \u2013 something I am sure he has been lusting after for many years.<\/p>\n At some point, somewhere the idea that the population one serves is not entitled to or worthy of the truth became an integral grain within the fabric of Australian politics.\u00a0 We are currently being treated like complete and utter idiots.<\/p>\n We will continue to be treated as complete and utter idiots if we, as Australians, don\u2019t honour our civic duty and demand a Federal ICAC.<\/p>\n Demand that major parties work with the Greens to introduce an ICAC into the Federal government landscape.\u00a0 If they then fail to do so the population can make a reasonable assessment on whether they have integrity, decency, transparency and accountability.\u00a0 I personally would like to see all the goodies in Parliament, regardless of political persuasion, come out and make a collective public statement of their support for a Federal ICAC \u2013 be willing to stand up to the bullies in their party for the good of Australia as a whole, and future generations.<\/p>\n Those of us on the progressive side of politics must take direct action to ensure that a Federal ICAC is implemented as soon as possible.\u00a0 We can do this by:<\/p>\n\n