We must always be mindful of integrity
DID you hear about the former footy player who was filmed licking alcohol off a scantily clad woman’s body? Or the state politician who was photographed at her former job … as a Penthouse pet?
Images of both have been used as weapons against the council employee and aspiring MP and the former public servant and current politician, with the media having a field day.
And, yes, Terry Campese’s party included a ‘spanking’ station too. A popular Queanbeyan boy, Terry is a one-time Canberra Raiders captain and, as I write, the current Labor candidate for the NSW seat of Monaro. The party footage is a bad look, of course, and far too tacky to conform with how we are used to seeing those in our political ranks, even in their youth.
I’ve never attended a party like this, nor do I have any interest in doing so. However, was there anything illegal about it? No. Was it in bad taste? Probably, depending on what you’re in to.
Should it ruin a political career before it’s kicked off? This is the question that matters most right now.
It looks like it will and, before you elevate yourself onto a pedestal firmly planted in the moral high ground you fancy you occupy, think seriously about your own past.
Not just the past, say, five years, but the last 20.
Out at clubs with friends, at house parties at high school, living your stupidest and silliest life before you’re old enough (or wise enough) to realise that it might be filmed and might be used against you.
If we think it’s hard now, buckle in and hold on tight, because when it comes to moments caught on camera you’d rather forget, spare a thought for those in their 20s.
Their entire lives have been recorded on camera and shared online and while the media cycle might be lightning quick in terms of something new to watch every day, once it goes up, it’s there forever.
We might find ourselves in a situation where only the purest of pure put their hands up for public life, regardless of the passion they might have for this country or their genuine desire to do good. The existence of a video that some might determine to be unwholesome could wipe them out entirely from even contemplating a future of public service.
I had former Wallabies Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper on my Sky News show last week and asked them about any potential political aspirations.
Prior to even finishing my sentence they both jumped in and ruled it out completely.
Drew referenced Terry Campese and joked he’d be far too terrified to test what might exist in relation to his past. Both are good blokes, impressive communicators, super smart and care about their communities. I suspect there’s more truth to their answer than humour.
The number of people I know who’d be brilliant in Parliament yet who tell me they’d never do it because of this very reason is mind blowing. Most people are flawed, in fact we all are in some way, but stupidity, particularly when we are younger, should not be the basis by which we are judged.
Character matters, absolutely, but you can make a mistake and still be a person of integrity. I’d much rather a local member who has learnt from a mistake than one who has lived such a sheltered life their behavioural, good judgement and good taste slates are all squeaky clean.
There’s a school of thought that is savagely critical of the fact that many of our pollies’ lived experience is that of union officials or political staffers — well Campo’s lived experience is professional sports, local government and director of the youth foundation that bears his name. It is worth noting that the local member he’s challenging, Nichole Overall, also has a CV as long as your arm of extraordinary grassroots community work in her electorate and region.
When dubious incidents emerge during political campaigns, we need to think very seriously about where we draw the line?
How do we determine who is worthy and who isn’t? There are things we now know about Bob Hawke, and some of the goings on behind the scenes during his prime ministership, that would definitely have influenced the electorate’s judgement of Bob the person.
But Bob the Prime Minister? Who knows. Given his achievements, and the acceptance by most that he left this country in better shape, might his fellow Australians, the jury, have still stuck with him and returned a verdict that the end justified the means?
Now I’m not saying that if something were to be released that involved illegal behaviour, say vision of someone selling military secrets to Russia or exhibiting behaviour that is deemed completely unacceptable for obvious reasons, that they shouldn’t be held accountable. But we have to remain rational here.
Compromising our standards is often identified as taking a step towards a slippery slope that can lead to significant damage.
In each case of these ‘sensational’ political revelations we need to ensure the standards we believe we are protecting are those which bring integrity and value to our processes and governance. We are undoubtedly the losers, not a potential candidate, if we get that wrong.