An " Ethics " Watchdog !

The man who should have been our police commissioner has compiled a report which will result in the  implementation of a " health check " on the massive planning system that rules the spending of public money in this state.  His report was so compelling that all nineteen recommendations were accepted and will be put into place.

Nick  Kaldos was one of this states former deputy police commissioners when jockeying within senior ranks by those hoping to attain the top job on the retirement of the police commissioner implemented illegal internal bugging of phones and surveillance that destroyed the reputation of many innocent police.  The guilty culprit was never publicly revealed, but all senior police were disregarded for promotion and the job went to a ranking outsider.

Nick Kaldos resigned in disgust but his many loyal supporters have been heartened as he has retained his interest in reforming the system in which self interest plays a big part in much of the decision making.  This is rife when councils are involved in making decisions along ethics lines and a number of parliamentarians are either in prison or have left parliament under a cloud because of their misuse of power.

The decision making system is understandably very complex and is usually subjected to complaints by whistle blowers.  Mr Kaldos is suggesting that where council decisions involve development applications these should be subjected to a close examination by a totally independent investigative panel.  In many cases, the matter to be decided involves outcomes that will sustain the incomes of the very people making those decisions.

What Nick Kaldos is suggesting is that the people who make decisions on matters of public interest should have an independent scrutineer looking over their shoulder, both at the parliamentary level and in local government.  All too often the result of decisions that fall outside normal guidelines result in public disfavour and break the ethics laws that are supposed to prevent the distortion of guidelines.

As we have learned to our chagrin, power corrupts and when power is put in human hands there is always a degree of temptation.  That temptation is diminished whenever the decision to be made is subjected to a close review by an independent observer who will demand the reasons that a departure from normal is occurring.

Now it remains to be seen if this report is implemented in its entirety, of if the implementation leaves a little " wriggle room "  for an escape from scrutiny.