Get rid of Federal Government

Political parties are the major reason for widespread public distrust of politicians. Once a candidate is endorsed for election, he or she has more allegiance to the party than to voters – which sees normal ethics, reality and accountability fly out the window. The party machine and hierarchy are all that matter and individuals will be protected whatever they do. Corruption in Federal and State politics is nothing new, politicians have been accepting bribes for ever and they have always had their hands in the pockets of taxpayers – but the scandals have grown in recent years. The latest to hit the fan are fraudulent claims totalling $140,000 which forced the resignations of the Victorian Parliament Speaker and his deputy. The regularity of scandals demonstrates that many politicians are simply crooks who can't be trusted. One way to overcome the problem may be to disband political parties, politicians should stand in electorates in which they live as independents directly representing voters – not the party machine. A way of reducing the outrageous number of politicians and the spiralling cost of Government is to overhaul the constitution. Get rid of Federal Parliament and allow the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to run the country. Virtually all functions of Government are conducted by the States so why duplicate bureaucracies and Ministries in Canberra? Billions of dollars would be saved.