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ALL-CLEAR: Australia one of least corrupt countries in the world
The AgeBC and other outlets would have us believe that Australia is riddled with corruption, with a desperate need for anti-corruption commissions and maybe even a special jail for all the dodgy developers, corrupt councillors and profiteering politicians.
Of course, it’s nonsense. And the world’s leading anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International agrees, saying that Australia is one of the least corrupt jurisdictions on Earth.
Australia ranks in the Top Ten, ahead of Canada, Germany, Austria, Japan, the US and UK. It’s a fine thing too, investors are much more attracted to countries with certainty and corrupt practices make life very uncertain.
It puts into perspective the claims of mainly left-wing journalists that Australia is riddled with wrongdoers in business or politics. The next time someone goes on about such things point them to this chart and this map.
Many of those journalists have deemed political donations to be inherently corrupting despite a lack of evidence for any such thing. Those same journalists are horrified when you point out that their organisation receives money from either:
■ The government in the form of a highly political budget allocation from a Cabinet full of politicians; or
■ Advertising revenue from some very large corporations, including *shock horror* developers or local, state and federal governments; or
■ Subsidy from some wealthy or powerful man (invariably they are) or corporation.
According to the chattering classes and many journalists, political donations must inherently corrupt the recipient. But they suspend that twisted logic for the purposes of journalist who are paid directly as a result from money paid by these sources.
In the case of VEXNEWS, none of contributors could give a toss who advertises here. We outsource the ads and don’t worry about them too much unless they’re promoting what Senator Nick Xenophon described in Parliament yesterday as the “criminal” organisation, Scientology. We won’t have those on.
But the idea that the ads appearing here would corrupt our coverage is laughable. And frankly it’s laughable to suggest the same of all donations to political parties.
Australia is one of the least corrupt jurisdictions on Earth.
Maybe the fact we are so jumpy about the possible rorts going on behind our backs is one of the factors that gives us this proud title. But when we deem all lobbyists ‘influence peddlers’, all businesspeople ‘crooks’ and politicians ’shonks’ we need to be careful of the corrosive effect of that on public life in Australia. Because as Transparency International has shown, behind the constant spin there is very little substance.
Discussion
25 comments for “ALL-CLEAR: Australia one of least corrupt countries in the world”
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Australia might not be corrupt but the appointment and stacking out of Victorian Courts with leftist from Hullstopia certainly is corrupt.
Journos are dumb and therefore corrupt. They really think like teenagers in a garage band. Just because someone let them play loud on the electric guitars and drum kit doesn’t make them rockstars. Likewise, just because journos get the gig at a newspaper doesn’t make them Watergate uber-journalists.
The belief in conspiracy and corruption in Australian politics leads to bias and unbalanced reporting as well as reputations sallied with impunity. It is the reason the Libs and the Labor right receive a harder time in the press. Meanwhile Leftie and Greenie conflicts of interest go unreported.
Thank the blessed Holy Family for vexnews!!!
Transparency International obviously has never lived in the ‘cesspit of corruption’ called Australia. ALP state governments and both current and previous federal governments are all based on and riddled with corruption.
That figure doesn’t represent the Federal system we have. Disagregated data for the states would paint a better picture of corruption in Australia.
What was it that gave the countries above Australia higher ratings? Do New Zealand and Sweden have anti corruption commissions?
Australia and its multi level ALP governments is corrupt to the core!! This survey is corrupt
I accuse Joe Tripodi of buying off this dodgy group. Quentin Dempster has been informed.
Yep,the mob that reached that conclusion must have been reached.Next week look out for a survey that finds that Grub Rudd is not the biggest liar ever to hold the office of PM.
Mr Landeryou,
It is interesting that you mention Scientology considering that when I visited the Other Cheek (by accident) a few days ago I noticed that there were Scientology ads on that page. Is that why you moved sites?
It is good that there is an independent parliamentarian like Xenophon who is willing to explore some real social problems that are all too often off the major parties (and the media’s) radar – given both are too busy responding to hysteria. His approach re: Pokies and now Scientology is commendable, and is in stark contrast to the other independent parliamentarian he has to sit near, Fielding, who, even by the standards of pollies seems to desperately crave attention for doing nothing much.
Stan, we’ve blocked their ads on VEXNEWS and the OC so I’m not sure how that could be. Will look into it.
Can Chairman Corbett of Fairfax undertake to stop buying products which directly benefit the.Government of Sudan? Oops!
apart from not being corrupt we also don’t have a crime problem, we only have more cameras with which to film . The Age and their sort need to stop whinging and just go broke
Obviously this doesn’t take into account corruption that took place at the Melbourne University Student Union
Fortunately, the corrupt lefties have been turfed out and now a new era of enlightenment awaits.
Fran would not accept a last free trip and fall asleep,that may be seen as a usless bag on a usless mission.
Who appointed Tranparency International to be the authority on this? Themselves! The basis of their index is itself highly dubious: it actually purports to guage ‘perceptions’ of corruption by issuing surveys to people of its choosing. This niche industy of self-serving worthy backscratchers all then quote each other in their supposedly independent reports. Then the raison d’etre of all of these non-for-profit jokers can be verified in one long daisy chain style orgy of pontification. The Age is of course also a not-for-profit entity, but that’s not intentional.
I agree!
Be a sport and advise the Age journos to follow me!
If we are not corrupt why is this LABOR government confiscating Telstra’s net work?
NBN Cost 40,000,000,000
Recoveries per annum
Profit/Return 8%3,200,000,000
Interest 6% 2,400,000,000
Over Heads4% 1,600,000,000
Total yearly running costs 7,200,000,000
Plus Wholesaler Margin 25% 9,000,000,000
Plus GST 10% 900,000,000
Total Retail Cost 9,900,000,000
People in Australia 22,000,000
Cost per person PA 450
Subscribers 6,000,000
Cost per subscriber per annum 1,650
A charge of $80 per month is per annum $960
This requires subscribers of 10,312,500
ALMOST 50% OF THE POPULATION
CONROY RELEASE THE FIGURES ON THIS MONOPOLY.
Switzerland rates in the top 5 yet
the most corrupt nations have their money stashed in secret Swiss bank accounts, even Richo joined the club!
Seitz and Theophanus have tried hard to change things.Even Vanstone has got herself into trouble with granting a permanent visa for a criminal.
I’m not sure they’re looking at the right Australia! Maybe our federal government is one of the least corrupt, especially when Howard was in there – they were straight as a rod! But did they bother to have a scratch and look at NSW, Queensland, even Victoria?? Why does Grocon/Grollo seem to get all the building projects under Labor in Victoria? What about Gordon Nuttle in Queensland, Brian Burke in WA? What about the whole lot of labor MPs in NSW? What about Bjelke-Petersen? What about Murdoch supporting Rudd?
While we’re on corruption, I am encouraged that those privileged corporate cheats, the business boofhead James Packer and the long-term unemployed Lachlan Murdoch, may finally get their comeuppance. Those popmpous little shits walked away scot-free from the One.Tel saga but, fingers crossed, all of us burnt by their greed and incompetence will have our day.
Securency International.
Journalism in Australia is so incestuous. According to Rebecca Wilson the comments of Sport Minister the Hon Kate Ellis during her speech for the release of the long awaited Crawford report were “cringe worthy” Indeed methinks the lady doth protest too much! While The Observer is reporting Rebecca’s article claiming that Rudd may regret appointing her for allegedly botching the key announcement. Rebecca has only good things to say about the recent Jenny Craig graduate Senator Kate Lundy from the ACT. Rebecca goes on to credit the Senator and wife of one time high flying journalist (Mr David Forman) as being hard working. Rebecca also accuses the Ellis of being a lazy underperformer making out that she was only promoted to Sports Minister for her background playing netball and “reasonable” good looks. Rebecca claims that Lundy was overlooked when in fact this is not true. While Lundy is a good networking she is not generally regarded by members of caucus as being a very hard worker. In fact, Lundy is on the outer in the ACT and is often referred to as being on the way out. Some members of her own faction have even suggested that she is luck not to be staking the shelves at Dicks-on Woolies. While Lundy’s recent weight loss and her activities as a sports patron are commendable. It is not that long ago since she could be seen with her fist in a bowl of avocado dip. Quite frankly Lundy’s ABC radio morning stints where she goes into fish-wife mode and berates people who disagree with her view are painful. Lundy is a bully a bit like Coates who has been critising Ellis about not making a premature decision on the report.
Lazy Lundy is cosy with Coates from rowing…
No corruption in the ALP. They have just announced an inquiry into whether we need ICAC in Victoria. Another Teddy policy stolen.