Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely – or so the saying goes.
Which is why this thought crossed my mind today – I wonder how much money might have been required to enable the Tamil family to have been granted the Minister’s discretion to remain in Biloela?
We hear many things, some of which we can never verify and some of which may not be true, but are believed because they fit with what we know to be fact.
There were rumours of people being allowed to stay in Australia because money changed hands. Were they just rumours, or was there any foundation in truth? There has never been clear information either way. And, of course, we do not have any ICAC in the pipeline, let alone already established – and that says a lot about our politicians.
Transparency? On water matters? Don’t make me laugh!
We do know that, through political influence for the benefit of ‘mates’, two au pairs were allowed to stay, despite Border Force having sought approval to refuse them entry according to the rules, and who knows whether they observed the conditions of their visas?
We have heard that Malcolm Turnbull effectively bought cooperation from Peter Dutton by creating a mega department for him to control. Seeing the regularly negative reports on that Department’s financial goings on published by the Auditor General, this was not a good move. But it also leaves a feeling of relief that Dutton failed in his bid for the top job, because we would then have not only become more clearly a police state than we are already, but the economy would have really gone backwards with uncontrolled spending.
All the ongoing headlining concerning protection of religious freedoms is part of the current hypocrisy.
I grew up in a Christian household and went to a C of E Secondary school where we studied the scriptures.
As an aside, I also studied science and am well aware that science has increased our knowledge of many things, thereby contradicting many things recorded in the bible.
I have read enough about the teachings of Jesus Christ to know that those organisations which preach that your prayers will help you become rich in terms of worldly wealth, do not have a leg to stand on in terms of calling themselves Christian.
His message was to give your worldly goods to the poor, Mr Morrison!
The Catholic Church is perhaps the most significant proof of the corruption rendered by power.
While many institutions were found by the Royal Commission to be responsible for the sexual abuse of children, the refusal by the Catholic Church to report knowledge of abuse revealed in the confessional is putting canon law above the laws of a secular country.
Let us just look at that more closely.
At confession, the penitent asks for forgiveness for his/her sins, and, for that forgiveness to be absolute, the priest hearing confession, and supposedly representing god, imposes a penance to be performed. No follow up. End of story. Go forth my child and sin no more.
When priests themselves go to confession, how truthful are they?
When you hear the appalling stories, which were recorded by the Royal Commission, it blows your mind to think that these victims have suffered at the hands of those who now seek to follow their religious calling with total freedom!
Registered religious organisation pay no tax – but neither, even if their members have been offenders identified by the Commission, do they necessarily pay proper compensation to those whose lives have been damaged or destroyed by abuse for which those organisations must take responsibility.
We need to face the fact that there is only a small group which dictates our current government’s policies.
It consists of the corporations and individuals who donate to the party’s coffers.
The idea that an elected government cares about individuals, particularly those in genuine need of help, is blown out of the water by policies like the Indue welfare card, Robo-debt, Newstart and the mishandled NDIS.
When you read the information recently available by the assistance given to retiring MPs and compare it to the Age Pension, even worse, Newstart, and look at job vacancies vs job seekers the hypocrisy and blatant cruelty hits you in the eye.
Stuart Robert was allowed to make repayment for a claim he made for a massive use of home internet services, which was possibly illegally incurred, but Robo-debt over which he now presides, is driving innocent people to suicide.
I have no party affiliations because I am a believer in social justice and I cannot find a party which truly supports it. While I am normally an optimist, the present situation, with an ignorant, dishonest, uncaring – actually cruel – government is making it hard to look forward to the future with any real hope.
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