Struth

I’ve been asking anyone I know who has worked in parliament for details.

I want to know why Tassie is the corruption Isle.

People have been talking about the crony capitalism and jobs for the boys my whole life. Why is nothing ever done about it? Well this is the story I have pieced together. I can’t call it fact because we are speaking about the murky emotional dance that turns a basically honest person into a crook.

A newly elected person enters parliament and has a staff. There are Clerks and lesser staff who are seeped in the culture. They don’t cause what happens next per se but they are a conduit. It is hard to put into words but it sounds like the member is made to feel special. They are asked what they want to set their office up and anything is ok. So the lines shift from essentials to luxuries. From what is needed to do their job to what is about making them feel good. It is the kind of grooming that happens in cartels. If you’ve read John Grishham’s “The Firm” you will get a sense of it.

The staff themselves are encouraged to do their personal tasks on the states time and they do it because they are made to feel like it is a reward for something. Before long, ethical lines are blurred such that it is no longer straight forward to call out another’s amoral behaviour because your behaviour is no longer up to scratch, and well you know what they say about throwing stones in glass houses.

I’ve heard so many murky stories about private clubs, secret knocks, questionable work/private boundaries, financial and sexual.

And at the same time looking at the question of how we protect children from sexual predators there is so much about the culture in Tasmanian power halls that is fertile ground for the ick.

Speaking about it seems so important but how do we speak about something we know is murky without the facts? I think we can speak about culture with out the facts. It is the vibe of it.

We have some new members who have campaigned on integrity. A small solid stand can change a culture. That’s how all movements have begun.

Cleaning up Tasmania one moment at a time.