Expenses Scandal Inspires Resignations
Posted on: Thu 30 Jul 2020
On Sunday, it was announced that three South Australian ministers – including the state’s Legislative Council president – have resigned over the State Government’s recent expenses saga.
This includes transport minister Stephan Knoll, primary industries minister Tim Whetstone and Legislative Council president David Ridgway.
The sage began when a number of weeks ago, ABC’s Patrick Martin revealed Terry Stevens’ accommodation allowances for country MPs. Since then, this has evolved into a discussion concerning misuse of expense allowances among State MPs.
Subsequently, legislation terminology around the legitimacy of accommodation-based expenses for politicians has tightened. However, such a late amendment to these ambiguous rules has raised significant concerns from the media and public.
Furthermore, Premier Steven Marshall stated that, after allowing these resignations, the debacle had created a ‘unacceptable distraction’ for the State Government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Radio Adelaide’s State Political News Correspondent, Catherine Cochrane, joins Breakfast’s Zoe Kounadis to elaborate on this scandalous news.
Produced by Leon Bishop
Images sourced: Wikimedia Commons
