To "Pigs. Trough. Swill." we could add 'Dog's breakfast', to yield PTSD...

Or keep "Pigs. Trough. Swill" for the PTS and keep for the D the accurate term, 'Disorder'.

Rorting the system is something I see as very Australian. The sickie, the long lunch at the pub watching the cricket, meh.

Call it perks of the job. It's fun to make pollies squirm though, and they have to be roped in every now and then just like the boss has a quiet word about all the sickies on Mondays.

Such is life.

Anybody with any sense of reality would realize both sides do it. This petty bickering on here makes you all look pretty stupid.

I'm more annoyed about government advertising myself, as it's more in your face. Governments using tax payers dollars to annoy me with political advertising pisses me off. I really see no reason why the government ever needs to 'advertise' anything. I see no legitimate purpose for it ever.

Parrot,

Avoiding answering my question about Mark Dufus?

P.S. Rob Oakeshott is a windbag of note, and certainly couldn't claim for community engagements outside his electorate. TA as opposition leader is expected to operate country wide.

Dudd's private jet expenses in the campaign I believe eclipsed the entire coalition's travel expenses for that period.

PS. The dept of Finance did not pick up that Slipper's cab charge documents were falsely submitted, and would not have been expected to.

runner wrote
"How long can such sour grapes go on?"
What a telling comment runner.
Was it "sour grapes" when rabbott was calling for a new election minutes after the last one was decided?
Was it sour grapes when they went after slipper, thompson et al?
You hypocrite.
If ripping off the taxpayer for everything they can get is competence then you my friend are away with the fairies.

shallow minister wrote
"In fact, so far the only the only "rort" that clearly does not comply"
So you are fine with pollies promoting their books at the taxpayers expense? Entering fun runs, "volunteering", attending social functions all charged to the taxpayer? What next house renovations, the kids schooling, the new pool?

How far could the lieberals go before you rusted on rightards would condemn them?

Shadow Minister,

I'm having trouble justifying my effort to debate someone who spends his time on OLO inventing clever primary school-style names for everyone whom he encounters who have opposing views.

For someone who seems reasonably intelligent in one sense, you sure display an incredible immaturity in that way.

This is a forum for grown ups.

You complain that I don't address your one example....and yet you ignore or make excuses for Mr Abbott's serial practice of claiming expenses for personal projects.

Even if you include the Pollie Pedal as some sort of community/charity expense( once upon a time "volunteering" for charity meant wearing the peripheral expense), I note you haven't criticised his $10,000 dollar claim for Tamworth (not in any official or any ritual capacity) - or his family day out at the Victoria Derby which came in at $5,333.00.

Houellie,

Yes, dear....we're all a bit stupid here at times.

I note that you like to get stuck in with a fine tooth comb whenever the fancy takes you.

As I said earlier, I've listened for years to the holier-than-thou rhetoric of the born to rule Coalition.

They're hypocrites.

Nuff said.

Rorting certainly is engrained in a large part of the community. Think of a) the howls of protest and b) the hundreds of millions of dollars that could have been saved when the Labor government wanted to tighten the reporting requirements on cars so that claims would be limited to people who had a legitimate claim for a vehicle for business purposes. I know a few people who no more need a car to conduct their business than I need a pet whale in my birdbath, yet they get around in very nice sets of wheels they dishonestly claim. Oh look runner, it was your mate Saint Tony Abbott who said this sort of rort was fine by him.