ICAC Dodgy deals and secret donations - it should be having an impact on this election

The Rogues gallery of Politicians that have stepped aside due to allegations from The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) grew by one this week.

In an unprecedented year , 17 politicians are under investigation and have been forced to step down from their parties. So far 11 Liberals, 5 Labor and 1 Lord Mayor have been hauled in front of ICAC. On Friday 16 January the NSW Liberals axed any MPs still under investigation by ICAC from their candidate team.

The Greens have been at the forefront of cleaning up politics in NSW and were an integral part of having developer donations banned. It is alleged that the Liberals created sham companies to create slush funds of banned donations, trying to circumvent legislation that was to some degree working at reducing development decisions for donations.

The people of NSW have been let down by these politicians who appear to believe that they are above the law. Not acting in the best interest of the people makes you wonder what happened that compelled them to commit the alleged offences.

Ask the residents of Newcastle how angry they feel about being sold out by the ex-Mayors development gifts that have resulted in Newcastle’s city train service grind to a halt.

Being a politician isn’t a right, it’s a gift given by the people of NSW who should be able to have confidence in their chosen politician to do the right thing. Parties like The Greens who support grass roots democracy don’t ‘install career politicians’ but support candidates that understand the local area and the issues.

The Greens will continue to work hard on reforms that keep corruption out of politics; we are the only party committed to ending corruption.

 ( Submitted to New Bush Telegraph February 2015)