This week in estimates I exposed the bureaucracy on their lack of quality assurance and integrity in a number of areas. The level of sloppy attention to detail and unwillingness to uphold the Public Service Code of Conduct in regard to acting with integrity is indicative of both a political class that is incapable of holding the Bureaucracy to account and a Bureaucracy that is not interested in acting in the best interests of the people.
There were a number of issues that I covered that we will get on clips in the next few weeks. Here are some of the key ones.
On Monday, it was revealed in the RRAT Senate Estimates Committee that Federal Government funding for Avoca Road, near the Prime Minster’s newly acquired beach house, was increased from $30 million to $100 million. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King must come clean on why the Federal Government would increase funding for a road that was not a Federal Highway without asking the NSW State Government to increase it’s share of funding as well. If the NSW State Government didn’t think the road warranted further funding, then why did the Commonwealth increase funding by another $70 million from $30 million to $100 million? Given the large number of Infrastructure projects that were cancelled by the Albanese Government, why did this project have its funding increased?
On Tuesday, it was revealed in the Legal and Constitutional Senate Estimates Committee that ASIO and the AFP had received legal advice that the politician referred to by Mike Burgess in his annual threat assessment earlier this year had in fact breached S142.2 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act. This section states that a Commonwealth public official commits an offence if the official engages in conduct with the intention of obtaining a benefit for himself or herself. How does the ex-politician who sold out to China not fall into this category and why is ASIO claiming this official can’t be prosecuted? Given ASIO and the AFP had received legal advice from a Barrister four months ago, it beggars belief that they are allowing a politician, who in the words of Mike Burgess “sold Australia out,” to not be prosecuted. Why aren’t ASIO and the AFP upholding the law in what is possibly the worst case of political espionage in Australia’s history?
On Wednesday it was revealed in the Senate Economics Estimates Committee that Treasury and the Australia Tax Office have not updated the Tax Treaty with Ireland since 1983. Since that time Ireland has joined the EU and lowered its company tax rate considerably, making it a favoured destination for Multinational Companies seek to avoid their international tax obligations, including those of Australia. Given the notoriety of Ireland’s tax regime, it has to be asked why Treasury and the ATO has done nothing to crack down on shifting profits to Ireland from Australia.
On Thursday it was revealed that the TGA failed to report to the public in August 2021, the findings of an autopsy that attributed the death of a 52-year man to the Pfizer vaccine. This begs the question as to how many more autopsy reports the TGA has hidden from the public and why the TGA never advised the public of the risks of the Pfizer vaccine. Millions of people continued to the take the Pfizer vaccine and tens of thousands were subsequently injured and even killed. The TGA has clearly failed to act with honesty and integrity about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine that has caused serious bodily harm.
