Australian Left Review

Article Title

The Permissive Politicians

Authors

John Playford

Abstract

COMPARING THE PROBITY of members of the political executive in Australia and Britain, Professor Sol Encel has remarked of the Australian experience:

The long list of ministers who have been charged with corruption, and the repeated refusal of governments to lay down rules about the private interests of their members, reflect a basic difference of outlook about the standards appropriate to public life .. .

However, before discussing the Australian experience in detail it is necessary to examine briefly the norms of behavior adhered to in Britain.