A commission charged with rooting out genuine corruption may not be the appropriate body to deal with matters of political integrity.
Australia should have a national body that exposes corruption at the level of the federal government. Scott Morrison promised one at the last election, and he should have done more to try to deliver it., attempting to capitalise on a mood of public distrust towards the political class. The Coalition brought the matter onto itself by playing retail politics excessively hard.
Society may decide that various forms of nepotism violate meritocratic and inclusive principles. Yet it is questionable whether an anti-corruption body is the appropriate way to combat it. There is a difference between a lack of political integrity and corruption. The former should attract a political penalty. A minister foolishly sleeps with his advisor, perhaps in breach of the prime minister’s own code of conduct. He or she should suffer the political consequences, along with the government. Most people know real corruption when they see it: where there is flagrant personal gain attracting a criminal penalty.