There is a long history of Australian politicians going into well-paid private sector jobs after politics – often in the very industries that they used to regulate.
But rarely has it been so blatantly spruiked as under this Coalition Government.
Back in May, Tony Abbott gave a speech to Parliament where he said:
“The member for Groom Ian MacFarlane was the resources minister who scrapped the mining tax … It was a magnificent achievement … and I hope that the sector will acknowledge and demonstrate their gratitude to him in his years of retirement from this place.”
In saying so, Abbott basically admitted that the Coalition serves the business community first and foremost. And they expect to be rewarded handsomely for it.
Well, Mr Abbott got his wish with Ian MacFarlane taking up a plum job with Queensland’s peak mining group. From The ABC:
Mr Macfarlane has been named as the new chief executive of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), and will officially start in November…
According to the Coalition’s Statement of Ministerial Standards, ministers have a number of work-related restrictions within the first 18 months of departing the frontbench…
Labor and the Greens have raised concerns about the appointment, but Mr Macfarlane has told the ABC he cleared the new job with the appropriate people in the Prime Minister’s office and is confident he is not in breach of the agreement.
“They see no issue,” he said.
“QRC is not a registered lobbying organisation, it’s a representative body and I will comply with the code…
QRC said Mr Macfarlane’s record was “remarkable” and built on delivering “better living standards for all Australians”.
Back in July, The AFR confirmed another example of politician-to-industry links, with former trade minister, Andrew Robb, joining investment bank Moelis & Company selling Australian assets to wealthy Chinese under rules that he developed while in Parliament. What The AFR article did not mention was that the rules were changed to be highly compatible with Moelis’ offerings.
We’ve also seen Labor President George Wright move to BHP to fight the very policy he created, as well as Bob Carr and Sam Dastyari push China’s agenda.
As noted by Alan Austin recently:
The rationale for generous pensions for MPs is that they can engage in public service – as Malcolm Fraser did chairing an overseas aid agency – and thus avoid the temptation of corporate payoffs…
Today it is revealed at Fairfax that:
Former Liberal Party federal director Brian Loughnane has been recruited by the Commonwealth Bank as an adviser.
The arrangement was confirmed at Tuesday’s appearance of CBA chief executive Ian Narev before Parliament’s economics committee.
…He did not confirm or deny a suggestion from the committee’s deputy chairman, Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite, that Mr Loughnane was helping Australia’s biggest bank see off a royal commission.
Mr Loughnane confirmed he was acting as a consultant for them, telling Fairfax Media: “I stand by what Ian said and I’m not going to say anything else.”
While Mr Loughnane was never an MP and therefore cannot be accused of double-dealing a government pension, his connections within the party are clearly going to be of value to the private sector, and not in a good way or the public interest. Recent presidents of both Labor and Liberal parties are now working for BHP and CBA to destroy public interest policy.
The corruption of Australia continues…
