Serious government accountability badly needed in Australia

Comments on Glenn Milne “Poodle's bite may yet wound the government”, 31/08/2009, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26003029-7583,00.html

The federal government begins to effectively acknowledge the huge waste in its spending programs, such as the Indigenous Housing in the Northern Territory where so many months have past and so much money spent and yet no single house has been built, and the Building Education Revolution spending in schools with a blow out to the order of $1.5 billion.

It shows a serious problem with government accountability for spending taxpayers’ money. While Labour has often been guilty of big government and government spending and increasing the level public debt, the lack of proper and effective accountability for spending is not confined just to Labour. We have heard before in huge military program with billions and billions spending that could not achieve the desired objectives.

It is high time to change this situation of seriously lacking of accountability. There are a number of things that can improve Australian politics and government accountability.

The first one is there should be a publically funded organisation to keep a record both online and in file of what the political parties promised policies and a chart for each promise about its status, for the years at least until some years after its finished.

The second is that either this organisation or another publically funded statutory authority to audit and evaluate public spendings. The organisation can also publish other independent assessments in addition to its own assessment.

The third one is that there should be a parliamentary court that can prosecute politicians for their serious mistakes that cause taxpayers' money being wasted or wrongfully spent. There needs to be effective accountability of using taxpayer’s money. The punishment can be banning a guilty person from being a minister, or a politician.

If these things are done properly, the public will have more confidence of their politicians and the government. Australian government will be more efficient and effective and Australia will be a better place.