The hypocrisy of ScottyFromMarketing’s hairy-chested approach to an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and China’s response was highlighted this week when Border Force Tsar Michael Pezzullo refused to guarantee that his empire would co-operate with the investigation into the Ruby Princess debacle.
When Commissioner Bret Walker led the South Australian Murray Darling Basin royal commission, the commonwealth went to the high court to resist subpoenas to call federal public servants.
When asked about co-operating with subpoenas in the coronavirus investigation, Pezzullo said he expected the commonwealth’s position “wouldn’t change from issue to issue” as there were long-standing points of principle and jurisdiction.
Righto. So we expect China to be open and transparent but not our fearless men in black. If our own Border Force won’t co-operate then why should another country, particularly considering the accusations being made and broadcast by the Murdoch muckrakers like Sharri Markson who now seems to have become the letter box for US propaganda.
What a joke.
And where is the call for an investigation into the handling of the outbreak in the US and the UK and our failure to stop them importing the virus into Australia?
This is par for the course with our current government who have the same approach to transparency and accountability as the Catholic Church.
The government has waged an expensive legal battle for the last seven months to stop an Auditor General’s report into a $1.3 billion arms deal from being released.
They have also invoked the National Security Information Act to keep the civil defamation case by their favourite war “hero”, Ben Roberts-Smith, secret. This is the same Act they used to charge, try and imprison Witness J in such secrecy that the ACT justice minister knew nothing about it.
Hell, they can’t even get their own Minister to tell where he got a forged document from or why he sent it to that other Murdoch miscreant, Simon Benson.
If you want others to co-operate in a fact-finding mission so we can learn from it, accusations are not the best way to garner support. Particularly when you are absolutely adverse to any scrutiny of your own actions.
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