AS ONE of the column's political scouts put it: "For some years now we have been told by various politicians (but predominantly of the coalition species) that the age of entitlement is over. It was first said by Joe Hockey, then Treasurer, who is now in Washington taking advantage of every entitlement he can find including charging the Australian taxpayer for child minding. Then came Sussan Ley, who amongst other things, used parliamentary travel allowance to travel to the Gold Coast and purchase an apartment. The fact that she has since apologised, promised to repay breaches, initially was stood down and eventually resigned are all appropriate, in the wash-up it simply illustrates she has been caught out making illegitimate use of an entitlement."
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She is not the only MP in the same situation; Labor cannot point the finger, some of its MPs including former ministers, have been caught with their snouts in the trough.
DA letters correspondent, Des Goonan, appropriately described the situation that has developed when he wrote recently: "To hell with the two big political parties and their cronies".
As the column's scout also observed: "At the same time as the Ley incident was evolving, the Department of Human Services under the direction of Minister, Christian Porter, was nastily chasing up some welfare recipients and pensioners to repay some over-payments to which they were not entitled". Then, not a "sorry" or "the department was wrong" when it was established more than one in every four cases was wrongly assessed and others over-estimated.
There is a double standard being applied by politicians and it has been going on for far too long - one standard for them, another for every other Australian. "This is", as our man said, "one of the reasons that politicians have lost the trust of voters and they will need to work hard and honestly to regain it". It is doubtful, as a collective, they can regain goodwill. Last year may well have marked the turning point so far as the major parties are concerned.Australia voters indicated they have had enough.
As US President, Barack Obama, said in his legacy speech last week: "Change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it". More readers are indicating they support his view.
Two other situations need urgent attention: Make any form of political donation illegal and no allowance or entitlement for any MP or minister invited to attend a non-government function outside their electorate; for example, four inter-state government MPs invited by a major bank to the AFL grand final should pay all expenses out of their personal pocket, not ours.
Obama is right on another issue: "Without some common baseline of facts, without a willingness to admit new information and concede that your opponent is making a fair point and that science and reason matter, we'll keep talking past each other, making common ground and compromise impossible".
A Rotarian colleague said this week: "We do also have to get rid of the states". Not only that, perhaps the Senate should go to. It has become a rabble, particularly since senators like John Faulkner and Bill Heffernan retired.
The Senate is now in the hands of people like "Bookshelves" Brandis and Eric Abetz, two examples who fail to meet the Obama criteria for MPs; "we have to pay attention and listen". It's well past time for constitutional change in our nation. Well past.
