INTEGRITY matters in life.
And integrity matters in politics.
And there is no way you can have integrity without honesty.
I am deeply concerned about the trends emerging with Queensland’s LNP government.
My concerns start at the very top.
This week we have seen confirmation that David Crisafulli has been misleading Queenslanders since before last year’s state election.
Prior to the election it emerged that David Crisafulli, when he was the sole director of an employment training company, was required to pay $200,000 in compensation to liquidators.
Prior to the election Mr Crisafulli was asked whether he was required to make this payment because the company under his directorship had been trading while insolvent.
Mr Crisafulli denied that emphatically.
But documents revealed under freedom for information laws now confirm the company Mr Crisafulli was sole director of had in fact been trading while insolvent.
And that was the reason he was required to make the $200,000 compensation payment to creditors.
This week those revelations garnered nationwide media coverage.
The coverage included an analysis that concluded that David Crisafulli has been playing Queenslanders for fools.
Despite the confirmation of what really happened, Premier Crisafulli continues to refuse to comment on these matters.
Little wonder.
Premier Crisafulli has been caught out.
Caught out misleading Queenslanders.
Caught out not being honest with Queenslanders.
It is yet another example of why this Premier cannot be trusted.
As I said, integrity and honesty are inextricably linked.
You cannot have one without the other.
This is not an isolated example either when it comes to the integrity of the Crisafulli Government.
Of great concern, is the Crisafulli Government’s appointment of John Sosso to the Queensland Redistribution Commission.
More than 30 years ago, Queensland’s supreme corruption fighter, Tony Fitzgerald, identified public servant John Sosso as a person who was politically influenced.
Extraordinarily, the current Crisafulli LNP government has appointed that same politically-tainted individual to the Queensland Redistribution Commission.
I believe this latest appointment is simply wrong.
When the Crisafulli government’s intention to appoint this person to the QRC became known, it prompted Tony Fitzgerald to warn that Queensland was at risk of slipping back to the dark old days of gerrymander.
Now that this completely inappropriate appointment has been confirmed, it says everything Queenslanders need to know about David Crisafulli and his LNP government.
