John Howard, Peter Costello and Tony Abbott have in each of their own ways, attacked Kevin Rudd's integrity and honesty. Leaving to one side that people in glass houses ought not be throwing stones - can you remember any honesty or integrity on the part of any of the three? - Tanya Plibersek [Federal ALP Member] in an op-ed piece in the SMH writes:
"The roll call of Howard ministers who have walked all over the ministerial code of conduct is long: Warwick Parer, the mining minister with $2 million worth of undeclared mining shares; John Moore, another shareholder minister with possible conflicts of interest; Warren Entsch, whose company won a $175,000 RAAF concrete contract without undergoing a tender; Peter Reith and his $50,000 phone card bill and his lies about children overboard; Philip Ruddock and Amanda Vanstone wrongly locking up and deporting Australian citizens; failed ministerial oversight of Alexander Downer and Mark Vaile over the $300 million in AWB bribes paid to Saddam Hussein just before we sent Australian men and women to risk their lives fighting him; allegations Helen Coonan tried to avoid land tax; and Ian Macfarlane trying to avoid paying GST.
Not one of these ministers was held accountable for his or her conduct."
Yes, Plibersek is an ALP member of Parliament, but the point she makes about the way Howard, as PM, has over the years repeatedly simply ignored any misconduct by one of his Ministers, the thrust of her piece can't be ignored.
"The roll call of Howard ministers who have walked all over the ministerial code of conduct is long: Warwick Parer, the mining minister with $2 million worth of undeclared mining shares; John Moore, another shareholder minister with possible conflicts of interest; Warren Entsch, whose company won a $175,000 RAAF concrete contract without undergoing a tender; Peter Reith and his $50,000 phone card bill and his lies about children overboard; Philip Ruddock and Amanda Vanstone wrongly locking up and deporting Australian citizens; failed ministerial oversight of Alexander Downer and Mark Vaile over the $300 million in AWB bribes paid to Saddam Hussein just before we sent Australian men and women to risk their lives fighting him; allegations Helen Coonan tried to avoid land tax; and Ian Macfarlane trying to avoid paying GST.
Not one of these ministers was held accountable for his or her conduct."
Yes, Plibersek is an ALP member of Parliament, but the point she makes about the way Howard, as PM, has over the years repeatedly simply ignored any misconduct by one of his Ministers, the thrust of her piece can't be ignored.
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