Australia – a reminder that we can always do better
Australia doesn’t often come up when corrupt governments are described. This is not an oversight, but a reflection of the importance of anti-corruption. This article describes the state of play in Australia today, focusing on electoral influences, versus day in and day out bribery issues. As many of the articles I include on this blog site, I think it’s important to include good overviews, so that we are reminded of where we should be focused, and so that this is not merely a good/news blog posting site.
In this case, what is important is to remember that even countries with good anti-corruption structures should not rest on their laurels and should be vigilant.
One interesting difference between Australia and other developed countries has been the lack of anti-corruption bodies, and Australia has one since 1988. The author notes, “Anti-corruption commissions are arguably the most significant tool developed in liberal democracies to fight corruption in recent times.”
For the author this does not seem odd, but coming from north America, and living in UK this is an interesting difference. The author also notes that “[t]he state anti-corruption bodies have brought to light many indiscretions by politicians that would have otherwise remained hidden.” Ad hoc investigations are important, but national bodies are there ensuring ongoing review.
Some of the areas that Australia seems to have as potential issues are similar to ones in other developed countries in the areas of essentially vote buying. Pork barreling, bringing home the bacon, is the practice of placing lucrative government contracts in electorates to increase prospects of electoral success. Additionally, the whole concept of lobbying, being the revolving door of politics. Though these may seem less important, they are at the heart of electoral corruption and should not be minimized, as they lead to grand, versus petty corruption. This article is good wake up call, pointing out that though Australia has done quite well, there should be continued vigilance and awareness of these important issues
In developed countries we should continue to work with our legislatures to ensure that the legal foundations addressing these corrupt actions are clearly set out, with equally clear enforcement. In UK, for one, the issue of lobbying corruption is weak, while in the US pork barrel politics is still prevalent and with the new administration, this will be even harder to manage.
What can be done? Transparency is key, as processes in the developed world are assumed to be in the public eye. What should and can be done is to continue publicizing actions that seem to go against such transparency and hold government officials accountable.