Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s glaring double standards have been exposed this afternoon for keeping Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash in her position while former Assistant Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos has stood down.
The former Assistant Treasurer stepped aside this afternoon after failing to give a full explanation to the Senate, showing contempt for the Parliament.
Despite failing to answer serious questions about consistently misleading the Parliament and failing to manage her former chief of staff’s conflict of interest, the Assistant Minister for Health remains in her position.
This shows a remarkable double standard by the government and a weakness on the Prime Minister’s part to uphold his own Statement of Ministerial Standards.
In only six months this government has trashed standards of Ministerial conduct and public accountability.
The Assistant Minister for Health breached the Prime Minister’s own ministerial standards but still no action has been taken.
Senator Nash has still not produced the document that details how her former chief of staff’s conflict of interest was to be managed.
The Prime Minister, Special Minister of State and Senator Nash all gave inconsistent answers about what was known about the Minister’s former chief of staff’s conflict of interest but now refuse to accept responsibility for the matter or fully explain what they know of the conflict and why it was not appropriately resolved.
Today’s events are but another example of the arrogant government Mr Abbott is leading that refuses to be transparent and accountable to the Australian public.