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Laura Tingle

Giles scandal shows we disdain bureaucracies until we need services

Slashing the capabilities of government departments means that in the real world, dodgy characters escape scrutiny and genuine needs go unanswered.

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Ministerial accountability used to be a reasonably straightforward thing: if something went wrong in your portfolio, it was your responsibility and you resigned.

Equally, there was a pragmatic rule in politics that if you became embroiled in a controversy that was damaging the government or distracting it from its day-to-day work, you would step down.

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Laura Tingle is chief political correspondent for the ABC's 7.30 program. She is the staff-elected director of the ABC. Connect with Laura on Twitter.

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    Original URL: https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/we-disdain-big-bureaucracies-until-we-need-services-20240528-p5jhfr