Editorial: Fact Checker keeps the bastards honest

To put it politely, our politicians do not have a good reputation for telling the truth. Voters are well aware most MPs try to be all things to all people, contorting their message to gain favour with whichever audience they happen to find themselves in front of at any moment. They adore making promises. But they are not always so fond of being asked whether they have delivered — and at what cost to the taxpayer. Notoriously adversarial, they are prone to exaggerate their own virtues and ignore their own shortcomings. And maligning their opponents — whether fairly or unfairly — is simply part of the parliamentary playbook. When they make mistakes, few are prepared to admit them. Sadly, the supercharged atmosphere of an election campaign tends to bring out the worst in them. And the sheer torrent of promises and verbiage in the lead-up to polling day makes it difficult for even the most switched-on voter to stay across all the details and fairly evaluate every utterance. Wouldn’t it be helpful if there was an independent and trustworthy source who could sort through all the main claims and counterclaims and present the findings clearly and concisely? Well, actually, there is. His name is John Flint — a Walkley Award-winning journalist with 33 years experience — and his Fact Checker column, which made its debut last week, will be published in The West Australian on most days of the election campaign. His latest piece, published on Page 7, puts the acid on Scott Morrison’s promise at the 2019 election to introduce a Federal anti-corruption watchdog. It’s a pledge that has taken on renewed political significance after Anthony Albanese said last week he would make creating such an organisation one of his top priorities. Little progress has been made over the past three years on setting up a Federal Independent Commission Against Corruption, as it has become to be known, and the Prime Minister wants to pin the blame on Mr Albanese. So who is right? Flint has carefully evaluated the evidence and has concluded it’s a Morrison broken promise. Flint has already concluded that, whatever else Mr Albanese might tell you, economics is an Achilles heel for the Labor leader. He has noted that disgruntled former LNP MP George Christensen’s marriage of convenience with One Nation is all about the money; namely a $105,000 payday when the turncoat inevitably loses his bid for a Senate seat. And Flint has concluded Labor is unlikely to do a deal with the Greens to form government. More than ever, this election will be about who you can trust — rather than a grand contest of ideas. The character and competence of both leaders have already been brought into question. Knowing who to believe has never been so important. Australian Democrats senator Don Chipp is long departed but many readers will remember his war cry: “Keep the bastards honest!” That is exactly what Flint and Fact Checker will do right up until polling day. Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by WAN Editor-in-Chief Anthony De Ceglie