"Dr. Sir John Howard, AC, WSCMoF" wrote in message
news:01dde876$0$20640$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...
>
http://www.smh.com.au/national/if-ethics-count-fitzgibbon-should-go-on-a-oneway-trip-out-says-mp-20090327-9e7g.html
>
> THE failure of Joel Fitzgibbon to declare travel and gifts paid for by
Helen Liu
> showed the written ministerial standards of ethics were a "farce", the
> Opposition said yesterday.
>
> "Either the [Prime Minister] sacks Mr Fitzgibbon for breaching the
standards of
> ministerial ethics or he must tear [them] up," the shadow special minister
of
> state, Michael Ronaldson, said.
>
> "Labor were extremely vocal about what they saw as breaches of the former
> government's code of conduct. Now it is time for Mr Rudd to either put up
or
> shut up."
>
> Senator Ronaldson said he had identified eight breaches of the ministerial
code
> of conduct, which was personally drawn up by Kevin Rudd to hold ministers
to
> high ethical standards.
>
> One section says: "Ministers are expected to be honest in the conduct of
public
> office and take all reasonable steps to ensure that they do not mislead
the
> public or the Parliament. It is a minister's personal responsibility to
ensure
> that any error or misconception in relation to such a matter is corrected
or
> clarified, as soon as practicable and in a manner appropriate to the
issues and
> interests involved."
>
> Mr Fitzgibbon said yesterday his failure to declare travel paid for by Ms
Liu
> was "untidy". But he was unable to explain the oversight.
>
> His register of interests was updated yesterday - several years late -
after he
> notified Parliament of two trips to China, in 2002 and 2005, paid for by
Ms Liu.
>
> The register shows that Mr Fitzgibbon's father, Eric, a former MP,
received a
> first-class trip to China in 1993 from a company associated with Ms Liu.
Unlike
> his son, he declared it at the time.
>
> Ms Liu is well known among senior Labor figures. She has been a regular
donor
> since Eric Fitzgibbon befriended her family in China more than 20 years
ago.
>
> The minister said yesterday he "deeply regretted" his failure to disclose
the
> trips, which he took when he was an Opposition MP.
>
> "It was very untidy of me," he said. "It was without justification and I
> apologise for it … I am absolutely confident that I've now disclosed
everything
> that is necessary to disclose."
>
> --
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ipvdBnU8F8
> - KRudd at his finest.
>
> "The Labour Party is corrupt beyond redemption!"
> - Labour hasbeen Mark Latham in a moment of honest clarity.
>
> "This is the recession we had to have!"
> - Paul Keating explaining why he gave Australia another Labour
recession.
>
> "Silly old bugger!"
> - Well known ACTU pisspot and sometime Labour prime minister Bob Hawke
> responding to a pensioner who dared ask for more.
>
> "By 1990, no child will live in poverty"
> - Bob Hawke again, desperate to win another election.
>
> "A billion trees ..."
> - Borke, pissed as a newt again.
>
> "Well may we say 'God save the Queen' because nothing will save the
governor
> general!"
> - Egotistical shithead and pompous .wit E.G. Whitlam whining about
his
> appointee for Governor General John Kerr.
# It depends on extent of "misconduct", whether repentance is made, and no
more sinning occurs.
The Opposition cries for blood, of course, and I seem to remember past
ALP govt obliging, until no competent potential Ministers were available.
Ha,ha!
The govt got swept out of office soon after.
|