Tag: Zali Steggall

The Coalition wants to get back into the contest, and is on the hunt for the knockout blow, or blows. Whatever it takes, by whatever means, as long as voters are hearing the static, and wondering whether a new Labor government would embark on a wild-eyed outbreak of redistribution, and screw up the economy. PM under pressure to sack Tim Wilson over use of franking credits inquiry Read more It’s that mindset that leads you to a place where you can establish an “inquiry” into a “retirement tax” (that isn’t a tax), funded by the taxpayer (thanks for that guys), and think it’s fine for the chairman of the relevant parliamentary committee (in this case Tim Wilson) to authorise what is clearly an accompanying, partisan campaign website (endorsed by him in his committee capacity) in order to better funnel outrage to the main event. Voters keen to understand who is exerting influence in their democracy can talk to the hand. The Coalition is perfectly entitled to be combative about Labor’s franking credits policy and campaign against it. When it comes to the sanctity of committees, a few things can be observed. Parliamentary committee proceedings often contain an element of partisanship. But the Wilson frolic is brazen enough, and feckless enough, to take us into new levels of egregiousness as far as parliamentary conventions are concerned, and it takes us there at a time when lots of voters have reached the conclusion that politics stinks. Can anyone tell me this, because I think about it a lot and I don’t know the answer: why are politicians content to trash conventions that matter for two minutes of short-term advantage? Will voters trust me?