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May 14th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda The Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper sagas have reignited talk of a code of conduct for MPs, but all parties are playing down its potential to raise the standing of parliament in the eyes of Australian voters.
While Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott are open to the idea, Mr Abbott says no member of parliament should need reminding that behaviour such as fraud or sexual harassment is wrong.
Conduct is in the spotlight following the tabling in parliament of a Fair Work Australia report, which found NSW MP Mr Thomson misused members’ funds when he headed the Health Services Union (HSU) from 2002 until his election to federal parliament in 2007.
The MP for Dobell, who has been suspended from the Labor Party, denies any wrongdoing and will defend himself in parliament on May 21.
Mr Slipper, a former Liberal MP turned independent, has stepped aside as Speaker to defend claims he misused taxi vouchers and sexually harassed a staffer. He denies the allegations.
A post-2010 election agreement between Ms Gillard and independents who supported Labor to minority government called for an MPs’ code of conduct to be overseen by the parliamentary privileges committee and an independent integrity commissioner.
“I’m very open to a code of conduct and working with others in the parliament to get this done,” Ms Gillard told reporters in Brisbane.
“I want to see parliamentarians doing the right thing.”
Mr Abbott told reporters on the Gold Coast he was happy to consider anything that improved the standing of parliament and ensured “members of parliament can be people all Australians respect”.
But he said Ms Gillard was “clinging to Craig Thomson’s vote in the parliament”.
“It’s all very well talking about a code of conduct, but no member of parliament should need to be told that fraud, theft and sexual harassment are wrong,” Mr Abbott said.
“So what we are getting from the prime minister is just more window-dressing.”
Labor MP Nick Champion said any integrity system could be misused for party political gain.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon also raised doubts.
“The best integrity commissioners are the Australian public and a robust media,” Senator Xenophon said.
The code of conduct has been backed by a House of Representatives committee, and a Senate committee is due to report in November.
Meanwhile, the HSU is seeking legal advice on whether it can recover money allegedly misused by Mr Thomson or seek damages after its national executive resolved to take the action on Monday.
If Mr Thomson is forced to repay the money, and goes into bankruptcy, he would have to forfeit his seat in parliament and possibly bring down the minority government.
Just as Federal Court mediation was about to start on Tuesday in relation to HSU East, officials of the union’s biggest branch called in administrators.
“Hopefully this will put an end to the internal fighting that has effectively torn the union apart,” acting HSU East secretary Peter Mylan said in a statement.
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