Political corruption is like a highly contagious virus that infects the cells of the brain. It tends to target people who believe their superior virtue makes them immune to its effects. It protects itself from detection by convincing its hosts that they are in perfect ethical health,that the good they do outweighs the harm corruption causes,that noble intentions excuse dishonesty and that corruption only “counts” when it amounts to criminal conduct.
By any measure,Berejiklian was a good premier. Her achievements deserve to be celebrated. I am also certain that she is,at heart,a decent person who sincerely believes she always acted in the best interests of the people of NSW. By such means,corruption remains hidden – perhaps even from the infected person and those who surround them.
In painstaking legal and factual detail,those parts of theICAC report dealing with Berejiklian reveal a person who sabotaged her own brilliant career,not least by refusing to avail herself of the protective measures built into the NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct. The code deals explicitly with conflicts of interest. In the case of a premier,it requires that a conflict be disclosed to other cabinet ministers so they can determine how best to manage the situation.
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The code is designed to protect the public interest. However,it also offers protection to a conflicted minister. Yet,in violation of her duty and contrary to the public interest,Berejiklian chose not to declare her obvious conflict.
At the height of the COVID pandemic,did we excuse a person who,knowing themselves to be infected by the virus,continued to spread the disease because they were “a good person” doing ‘a good job’? Did we turn a blind eye to their disregard for public health standards just because they thought they knew better than anyone else? Did it matter that wilfully exposing others to risk was not a criminal offence? Of course not. They were denounced – not least by the leading politicians of the day.
But in the case of Berejiklian,what we hear in reply is the voice of corruption itself – the desire to excuse,to diminish,to deflect. Those who speak in its name may not even realise they do so. That is how insidious its influence tends to be. Its aim is to normalise deviance,to condition all whom it touches to think the indefensible is a mere trifle.