Double-Dealing Double Standards
I’d thought to give Liberal MP Santo Santoro a pass on his failure to disclose shareholdings that put him in a bind over his portfolio. He did the right thing, I thought, oversights happen, and when he realized he’d missed the disclosure, he gave the profits to a charity. I was wrong. Santoro’s portfolio as Minister for Ageing meant his stock portfolio needed to be disclosed. This isn’t so difficult, so it’s more than an honest error. He should at the very least have offered his resignation. Howard should probably have accepted it, under the ministerial conduct guidelines he himself put in place back in 1996. But Howard’s not one for saying sorry and not one for enforcing the conduct of his ministers; that would be admitting a mistake. But to make matters worse, that “charity” Santoro donated to? It’s a lobbying group. It isn’t a charity at all, not registered, nothing. Yes, other actual charitable organizations, including the Salvos, the Catholics, and others, funnel money into it, but the “Family Council of Queensland” is not itself a charity. So he took the ill-gotten gains and made a political contribution. So he lied. Twice. And he still hasn’t resigned.

Crooks and liars, the Liberals, every damn one of them, since the beginning of their present reign. No wonder Howard’s approval ratings are tanking. Perhaps at last the Australian people will demand accountability at the polls.