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| Bronwyn Bishop's fate determined by media more than parliamentary scrutiny | Bronwyn Bishop's fate determined by media more than parliamentary scrutiny |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| We talk about travel rort scandals in terms of probity and morality, but for most politicians they are just another kind of political battle. The MP under fire makes a simple strategic calculation – not about how egregiously they dipped into the public purse or how ashamed might be – just about how much damage they, and their party, can endure, and how quickly the coast will clear. | We talk about travel rort scandals in terms of probity and morality, but for most politicians they are just another kind of political battle. The MP under fire makes a simple strategic calculation – not about how egregiously they dipped into the public purse or how ashamed might be – just about how much damage they, and their party, can endure, and how quickly the coast will clear. |
| Christopher Pyne admitted this with admirable candour on Wednesday. “You don’t jump at the first whiff of grapeshot,” the leader of the government in the House of Representatives declared, publicly backing Speaker Bronwyn Bishop even as political fallout grew and other frontbenchers and Coalition MPs suggested privately she should be considering her future. In doing so Pyne revealed the Abbott government position that Madam Speaker is digging in. | |
| Related: 'The Speaker is not resigning': Bronwyn Bishop digs in over expenses scandal | Related: 'The Speaker is not resigning': Bronwyn Bishop digs in over expenses scandal |
| Madam Speaker herself, a warrior if there ever was one, reinforced the message of defiance with a blunt five-word statement, “the Speaker is not resigning”. | |
| “Choppergate” had already pushed the Coalition’s political pain levels towards the upper levels of endurance, with public anger hardly easing when she repaid the cost without contrition. Revelations that she had claimed travel allowances for secret meetings with unnamed people to coincide with two separate colleagues’ weddings dialled the outrage levels back to up 11. | “Choppergate” had already pushed the Coalition’s political pain levels towards the upper levels of endurance, with public anger hardly easing when she repaid the cost without contrition. Revelations that she had claimed travel allowances for secret meetings with unnamed people to coincide with two separate colleagues’ weddings dialled the outrage levels back to up 11. |
| But you’ll notice Labor isn’t really leading the charge on the travel claims, which occurred so long before Bishop became Speaker and are therefore firmly in the arena of tit-for-tat political warfare. Labor knows from experience that inevitably some of their own side will also have erred, and that Coalition researchers will be, as we speak, collating any evidence of such cases. | But you’ll notice Labor isn’t really leading the charge on the travel claims, which occurred so long before Bishop became Speaker and are therefore firmly in the arena of tit-for-tat political warfare. Labor knows from experience that inevitably some of their own side will also have erred, and that Coalition researchers will be, as we speak, collating any evidence of such cases. |
| It’s the same reason that despite numerous inquiries (an audit office report, the Belcher inquiry, the Williams inquiry) over scores of years (usually following yet another expenses or travel claim scandal), nothing substantial has changed in the way politicians travel claims are scrutinised. | It’s the same reason that despite numerous inquiries (an audit office report, the Belcher inquiry, the Williams inquiry) over scores of years (usually following yet another expenses or travel claim scandal), nothing substantial has changed in the way politicians travel claims are scrutinised. |
| Mostly the major parties huddle around the “Minchin Protocol”, established after the Howard government’s first travel scandal and named after the then special minister of state, Nick Minchin. | Mostly the major parties huddle around the “Minchin Protocol”, established after the Howard government’s first travel scandal and named after the then special minister of state, Nick Minchin. |
| Related: The dog ate Bronwyn Bishop's travel expenses homework – twice | Related: The dog ate Bronwyn Bishop's travel expenses homework – twice |
| It says that when an allegation is relatively minor, an MP will be allowed to explain and repay any improperly or mistakenly claimed money. The major parties have resisted most calls for greater scrutiny – independent oversight or, heavens forbid, a federal version of Icac. | It says that when an allegation is relatively minor, an MP will be allowed to explain and repay any improperly or mistakenly claimed money. The major parties have resisted most calls for greater scrutiny – independent oversight or, heavens forbid, a federal version of Icac. |
| And none of that is likely to come into the calculations about the Speaker’s future. Her fate will be determined by what the government thinks it can get away with and how long the story is aired on the nightly television news. | And none of that is likely to come into the calculations about the Speaker’s future. Her fate will be determined by what the government thinks it can get away with and how long the story is aired on the nightly television news. |
| Pressure on Bishop will continue because she’s held out too long to say “whoops” and repay the travel claims, because she is apparently unwilling to explain the inexplicably convenient secret meetings, because of the no-confidence motion foreshadowed by Clive Palmer and Andrew Wilkie in her position as Speaker and because the Coalition’s treatment of travel allegations against former Speaker Peter Slipper means Choppergate (call in the AFP, don’t allow repayment) is seen as fair political game for the Labor opposition. | Pressure on Bishop will continue because she’s held out too long to say “whoops” and repay the travel claims, because she is apparently unwilling to explain the inexplicably convenient secret meetings, because of the no-confidence motion foreshadowed by Clive Palmer and Andrew Wilkie in her position as Speaker and because the Coalition’s treatment of travel allegations against former Speaker Peter Slipper means Choppergate (call in the AFP, don’t allow repayment) is seen as fair political game for the Labor opposition. |
| Analysis will focus on whether she should stay or go, not the system that allowed and obscured any transgressions. | Analysis will focus on whether she should stay or go, not the system that allowed and obscured any transgressions. |
| When this “scandal” dies down, however that happens, the major parties are very unlikely to drive changes to the transparency and oversight of their entitlements system. Ultimately they are all invested in the current “flexible” framework. It will all die down again, until next time. Unless the demand for a change to the system comes from us, the electors. | When this “scandal” dies down, however that happens, the major parties are very unlikely to drive changes to the transparency and oversight of their entitlements system. Ultimately they are all invested in the current “flexible” framework. It will all die down again, until next time. Unless the demand for a change to the system comes from us, the electors. |
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