The chopper has landed, but where does that leave us?

Ms Bishop has been extravagant. Any school student could be expected to pass severe judgment on her actions. Almost any one of these would do: helicopters here, plane trips there. And expensive nights out. Many of us do go to the Sydney Opera House on the bus or ferry. It doesn't cost $500 to go there and $500 to get home. My local MP is Malcolm Turnbull and he is well known for travelling on public transport. He doesn't think it's very extraordinary. Why does Ms Bishop seem to think that it's reasonable that the Speaker of the people's House of Parliament should travel in swanky expensive cars?

Bronwyn's biography is all set out on Wikipedia, from her long stay at Sydney University and her ascension through Liberal ranks to her present place as MP . Nobody would expect that she will sit quietly as an ordinary Member of the House of Representatives. Perhaps some kind of posting overseas, when things quieten down? And will she suddenly start riding in the bus?

Who could imagine that!

THE ENQUIRY

Mr Abbott has announced an enquiry, and tried to persuade us that 'the system' is wrong. He has appointed two public servants and says the enquiry will report in the first half of next year. A year to report (and these things do drag out, you know…) Is this really good enough given the obvious waste of public money that we have been hearing about for the last two and a half weeks? Is it really so hard?

When I do a workshop for a school or company, my expenses are listed. Transport; motel cost; perhaps meals. And a fee is set. I have worked at universities in Australia and Canada, and there were always fixed guidelines. No grey areas, no fuzzy bits. Really, how complex is this? If an MP has expenses that are arguable, then they should be published and the issue laid out somewhere that people can see. I don't understand why I should pay for someone to go to an expensive political fundraiser. Or to go to someone's wedding. I could grab half a dozen people at my gym or pub and we could work out some guidelines in an hour or two. These are matters that working people deal with every day. My accountant tells me very fast what is a legitimate expense.

MR ABBOTT AND THE FUTURE

One wonders how many MPs have been calling Tony Abbott to talk about their displeasure at the public discussion of the Speaker. It is a very unusual blue moon when the News Corporation tabloids are demanding that Mr Abbott ask for the resignation of a member of his government. I wonder if there are still more stories to emerge, to amaze us about Ms Bishop.

We all watched the sorry story of the Rudd Government which came to power with many hopes that it would do well. Through many sorry days of waste and mismanagement, pink batts and school halls, it all fell apart. It was a sorry, sad mess at the end. The friendship between Rudd and Gillard became bitter hatred. Government must be above such friendships if it is to be just and seemly. Just at the moment, I would challenge anyone to go into a pub, or a church, and ask people what they think of this whole episode. As I said in my earlier article: it would be – 'they are all like pigs in the public trough'. So after all this, all the justice we get is a year-long enquiry? Tony Abbott, we deserve much better.