from Independent Australia …

It’s all very strange. Ironic, really.

That Malcolm Turnbull has started an elongated election campaign on, according to him, the

“… level of lawlessness and corruption and waste in the construction industry.” 

Of course, Turnbull is talking about the unions, not the rich property developers who so often seem to bankroll the Liberal Party. Many of the same developers who are now crying out plaintively for Turnbull to reinstate the ABCC — a quasi-judicial kangaroo court cum inspectorate tasked solely to police construction unions. The unions – such as the apparently Voldemart-like CFMEU − are so absolutely awful, according to the Liberals, yet none of them ever talk about the developers' role in any "lawlessness and corruption".

Yet property developers are themselves so notorious for their bribes and corruption of public officials that they are banned in NSW from making political donations. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in NSW seems to do virtually little else apart from investigate dodgy developers and their links to crooked politicians — mostly Liberal politicians, in fact. Indeed, about a dozen Liberal MPs have lost their positions through having inappropriate connections to developers’ illegal donations.

One of the Libs who lost their job over ICAC was Federal Liberal MP Arthur Sinodinos, who told ICAC he had no idea that, in 2010 and 2011, huge donations were being made to the NSW Liberal Party, of which he was NSW Treasurer, from Australian Water Holdings, where he was chairman. A company that was closely linked to allegedly corrupt former Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid. Arthur lost his job as assistant treasurer over his apocalyptic appearance at ICAC, where he told his inquisitors he couldn’t recall a full 66 times in one afternoon. It all went over his head, he said. If Arthur isn’t corrupt, you might conclude, then he must be mentally deficient.

But after ICAC declined to make a corruption finding on forgetful Arthur, Turnbull rewarded him for being his numbers man in bringing down former PM Tony Abbott by making him his “cabinet secretary” — a new position Malcolm generously created just for Arthur. Turnbull may live to regret this decision, because no sooner had he announced his ABCC double dissolution stunt, then poor old Arthur was back in the news over the same tawdry affair.

You see, the NSW Electoral Commission are refusing to pass on $4.4 million of electoral funding unless the Libs reveal the donors to a slush fund they set up, it would appear, to launder illegal developer donations to the NSW Liberal Party. The NSW Liberals appear so desperate to conceal who these donors are they are prepared to forego this money rather than reveal the truth. They must be pretty bad. Of course, this cash will make a severe impact on the Federal Liberal Party's capacity to campaign for re-election.

And so now we have a situation where the public are meant to believe that the most important issue facing the country is the re-establishment of a special body to police “corrupt” unions, when all they are seeing in the media are more examples of Liberal Party corruption — even, allegedly, among Turnbull’s inner circle. Of course, Turnbull refuses to establish a Federal ICAC at the same time as the ABCC, which some crossbenchers would support and therefore would likely enable the supposedly vital ABCC bill to pass the Senate.

Of course, it isn't vital at all. It is merely a ruse to manaufacture a double dissolution election. One that, with Arthur Sinodinos smeared all over the newspapers, must surely be easily seen through by the Australian voter. And with Abbott continuing his role as Wrecker Rudd Mk II, and the polls tightening, who would want to be Mal right now? 

It feels now like it could all start to fall apart quite quickly for the Prince of Point Piper — like it did in 2009. And if you still think Turnbull couldn’t possibly lose the forthcoming election, then I ask you to recall that sure thing he championed in 1999 to an inglorious defeat.

Strange days indeed.

Will the Libs spill the beans on their illegal donors?