Pollies must say no to perks
The scandal that has erupted in recent weeks over politicians receiving free upgrades and other perks should finally bring to an end a rort that has been happening in plain sight for too long.
Regardless of being declared or not, politicians simply shouldn’t be accepting free upgrades, tickets or club memberships; and businesses shouldn’t be offering them.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not suggesting the Prime Minister or even MPs need to be trading elbow bumps in economy when flying around for work. I understand, accept and even support business class travel for politicians, which in turn gives them access to business lounges where they can continue to work as part of travel.
But free Chairman’s Club memberships, upgrades often for personal flights and other perks need to stop.
You have to ask yourself: why would airlines offer these memberships and upgrades?
It would be the same question you’d be asking of a business that happened to give a $5,000 voucher to a local Councillor, with the knowledge they may just be submitting a DA or a rezoning application in the near future.
Seriously, it’s no different.
And it shouldn’t stop at flights and lounges.
Why should the NRL pay for the Prime Minister to attend the State of Origin and the Grand Final?
Why are Midnight Oil slinging Albo free tickets to their shows?
Why is Allianz Insurance giving him tickets to see Elton John in Sydney?
And Peter Dutton is enjoying similar perks, whether it be tickets and hospitality at the cricket thanks to Cricket Australia, or Channel Nine throwing him Australian Open tickets.
Moreso, why are all these gifts being accepted?
It’s time pollies just said no.
Apart from obvious acceptances for events that may fall into a Minister’s portfolio, it simply doesn’t pass the pub test for gifts like the above to be accepted so regularly.
It erodes trust in the system.
If politicians really find it necessary to attend sporting events and concerts, let them buy the tickets themselves and claim it back on tax if the Australian Tax Office agrees it’s a legitimate deduction.
Cup Day loses its aura
Can we all accept that the Melbourne Cup is no longer the ‘race that stops the nation’?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not death riding the Cup. I’m not about to join the often ill-informed once-a-year protesters or suggest horse racing should be banned.
But what was once a staple in the Australian calendar has lost momentum over the years, as generational shift rolls through.
It is true that Flemington was sold out on Tuesday, and it is true that racing has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence in New South Wales under Peter V’landys.
But ask young people why they’re there on the day, and very few will tell you it’s about a passion for racing.
And that’s a problem for the sport that is being clouded by big crowds and excitement around the big event days themselves.
I’d argue more than half the people at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday couldn’t tell you who won by the time they left the course.
The TV ratings are a shadow of what they once were.
And on a day where so many businesses used to close for half the day, it seems many just power through these days.
I’m told lunches and events around town were a struggle to sell this year as people shunned the often expensive day out.
The Melbourne Cup will live long into the future, there is no doubt about that.
But any suggestion that is still one of the great social days on the Australian calendar is well and truly off the mark.
NRL must proceed with caution
The likely sellout crowd at Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium for the Pacific Championships Final this Sunday should not be used as evidence that we need more international football and a shorter NRL season.
I’ve seen articles this week suggesting as much, as the push rolls on for a shorter regular season and changes to the international calendar and State of Origin scheduling.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and Chairman Peter V’landys must proceed with caution when it comes to expansion and blowing up the very successful structure that exists now.
The NRL is one of the best club competitions on the planet.
The ratings and crowds have been rising for years, and the game has never been in a better place.
You’ve got to be careful to not destroy that in a wayward attempt to make it better.
Everyone likes to pretend that international footy is the pinnacle of rugby league but I’m not sure that fans or even many players would agree.
Representing your country is a tremendous honour, and there is no doubt that international footy gives us some wonderful highlights each year.
But its growth cannot come at the expense of the club competition, which is the envy of so many other codes.
One for the train spotters…
You may notice that today’s print edition of the Weekender is dated Thursday.
We’ve always been out on Thursdays, but for a variety of reasons over the years, our publication date has formally been Friday.
That changes from today as we officially move to a Thursday publication.
From a reader’s perspective, nothing changes, but we know a few keen-eyed followers would have noticed it!
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.