How can we trust politicians from the major parties who constantly lecture us in business and individuals about fiscal responsibility yet who ignore their own advice when spending on themselves?
The travel and personal entitlements stories of the last few weeks serve to reveal to us what appalling leadership we have in Canberra.
Their explanations demonstrate how out of touch they are. Their selfishness is breathtaking, only surpassed by their lack of ethics.
As a small business owner I look at the spending by a politician on a trip in the context of the tax I pay and how hard all in my business have worked to make those funds available. This is why the $5K helicopter ride to Geelong, the $12K business class trip for kids to Uluru and the hundreds of thousands spent on wasteful study trips overseas disgust me.
Here we are in small business and in our homes being lectured by parliamentarians of all colours about working hard, paying our taxes and being less of a burden on government while those lecturing us engage in a orgy of spending.
We cannot trust them, not any of them from the major parties. They have no perspective grounded in the reality of the everyday taxpayer.
I think we need to overhaul our parliamentary representation. For what it’s worth, her is what i would like to see:
- A maximum of three terms for any politician.
- A genuinely independent speaker.
- Elimination of political donations by companies and unions and capping donations to $1,000.
- All donations to go through a donations office, which passes them on once satisfied as to the source.
- Banning of all lobbyists from contact with parliamentarians. They ought tis pend their time talking with and serving constituents.
- Reduced family travel allowance and never above economy class.
- No use of VIP aircraft for anyone below prime minister level unless approved by an independent panel outside of parliament.
- Superannuation at the level of everyday Australians.
- Wage rises at the level of everyday Australians.
- No ability to pocket the Canberra accommodation allowance, purchase a home and profit at taxpayer expense.
- Travel expense disclosure no more than two weeks after the end of the month.
Politicians love to talk about public service. While the words sound wonderful, the compensation they receive make their ‘service’ about the paycheque, perks and jobs from mates in the future. It’s a massive scam and we voters let it happen.
Sure they work hard but so do many small business owners.
I know newsagents working 100 hours a week for under $40,000 a year and who battle the government because of poor small business practices mandated by out of date politicians. Such a newsagent is making a more valuable public service contribution than any politician.
Our current batch of politicians on both sides from to top down disgust me. They are ignorant, out of touch and selfish. We nee urgent wholesale change.
next election i will vote for green party or other independent parties.
Mark, I couldn’t agree more. Not a struck match between the majors anymore.
Pay peanuts Get monkeys
Last time I flew to Melbourne
Nick Xenophon was sitting directly opposite us in economy
Paul, we are paying a lot more than peanuts now and are getting a bunch of clowns. Think I’d rather have monkeys. 🙂
The tragedy of John Howard was that he thought he could captain Australia at cricket; the tragedy of Tony Abbott is his continuing captain’s picks that all go out on the full!
Paul they are well paid in my view. backbenchers get $195K plus a generous super scheme and expenses funding that is considerably above expenses.
I have always thought that politicians should get the same wage as the average Australian.
If the job wasn’t about the pay packet it would only be people who really want to make a difference to the country
Unfortunately politicians at all levels whether it be local, state and federal (you be surprised at how much your local councilor rack up in travel expenditure) have been misusing funds, allowances and “entitlements” forever and Australian citizens do not know and have no way of challenging it. It is only due to the good detective work of some of our journalists that these come to light and only public out cry will politician do something about it.
The Australian political system of benefits especially for former politicians is long overdue for a review and so is our way of voting. We complain about the Woolworths and Coles duopoly yet we don’t change our spending habits, we complain about the Labor/Coliation party yet we keep voting for a two horse race.
I had Cathy McGowan in the shop yesterday, she is one of the few politicians to have spoken out clearly on this issue. Cathy and her fellow independent Andrew Wilkie are probably our only true representatives on this, if you feel strongly about it email her on cathy.mcgowan.mp@aph.gov.au
I personally think we need to blow this up the same way as the UK parliament was disrupted in the allowances scandal over there, we might clear out some of the existing baggage in Canberra and help the place change its mindset.