Opinion: Why Labor Party will fall into its own trap

The delicious irony of the Labor Party’s push for a federal ICAC-style investigative body should not be lost on those who value integrity, writes Peter Gleeson.

There’s an old saying about being careful what you wish for, and the delicious irony of the Labor Party’s push for a federal ICAC-style investigative body should not be lost on those who value integrity in our political system.

The Labor Party doesn’t believe in integrity. They never have. They are the masters, the gold standard at political obfuscation and secrecy. They’ve forgotten more than the conservatives know about running angles.

The only difference between Queensland and Victoria and the way they shamelessly run their own political agendas is the Sunshine State has palm trees.

In Queensland, like Victoria, the unions run the show and cabinet ministers allow them to ride roughshod over policy and legislation.

When Daniel Andrews called an inquiry into the hotel quarantine deficiencies that led to more than 800 pandemic deaths, the terms of reference and parameters were so narrow it turned into high farce.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese thinks it’s clever to push the integrity line and set up a federal ICAC-style investigative body.

Bring it on. Do voters really care about politicians behaving badly? Maybe we’ve become so conditioned to it, it’s now just accepted as part of their job description.

I had to laugh when the Canberra press gallery started asking MPs and ministers whether they’d ever lied in public office.

Only Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce had the foresight, common sense and honesty to admit he’d probably lied somewhere along the line.

Take it from me, I’ve never met a politician that hasn’t told a porky as part of their job. It goes with the territory. Any politician who suggests otherwise is living in fantasy land.

Instead of spending a fortune on setting up a corruption-busting body, the federal government should announce a royal commission into the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s time we blew the lid on the terrible decision-making of state and territory governments, who have put politics before people, especially in the bush. The jingoism and state against state mentality of our leaders remains a disgrace. The way in which Australians have been treated in their quest to return home, whether overseas or in another state, will forever be a dark stain on our history.

A royal commission will expose the politicking and blame-shifting.

Even better, let’s have a referendum giving the commonwealth total control during any future pandemic.

Shut the states and territories out. Only NSW has proven to be fit and proper during a crisis.