Matt Johnston: ALP’s cunning tricks burn the trust of voters

OF all the damning words in Wednesday’s Ombudsman report, one stood out above the others: “artifice”. It’s just one word, but it sums up the crisis engulfing Daniel Andrews perfectly, writes Matt Johnston.

OF all the damning words in Wednesday’s Ombudsman report, one stood out above the others; “artifice”.

The dictionary defines this as “a clever trick or stratagem; a cunning, crafty device”.

It’s just one word, but it sums up the crisis engulfing Daniel Andrews perfectly, and the reason the ALP thought it would get away with its scam.

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When Labor’s rorts-for-votes scheme was revealed in 2015, Daniel Andrews said no rules were broken, and he took responsibility for everything that happened under his leadership of the party.

For good measure he went on: “Might I say, without being too self-praising, that that’s a relatively novel view. There are not too many political leaders that are prepared to say that, but that’s the way I operate.”

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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews faces the media to address the Labor rorts report. Picture: Alex Coppel

How embarrassing that sounds two and a half years later. Now it seems no one wants to take responsibility, let alone accept any guilt.

“There are no recommendations of any action against anyone in the report that has been tabled,” Mr Andrews said on Wednesday.

Paying the money back, he argues, is all that is needed.
But it’s not just about the money, though don’t get me wrong: creaming almost $388,000 from taxpayers is, as Ombudsman Deborah Glass says, plainly “wrong”.

It’s the rort, not the riches.

Inexplicably, the government tried to argue the Ombudsman didn’t have authority to probe the use of taxpayer money in this case.

Luckily for taxpayers, that was rejected by the highest of courts.

One of the architects of the scheme, then-Labor leader in the Legislative Council John Lenders, has stood down from his role as chair of VicTrack. Picture: David Crosling

Several Labor MPs said quietly on Wednesday that repaying the money can see the party start to move on.

But can it, until someone actually takes responsibility?

One of the architects of the scheme, then-Labor leader in the Legislative Council John Lenders, has stood down from his role as chair of VicTrack.

But his message was he was just going to spend more time with the grandkids.

The Opposition points out every other rorter has lost their jobs and repaid the money.

Until someone finally takes responsibility, the damage can’t be repaired, and Labor risks the stench from this saga hanging around until the election later this year.