🚀 go-pugleaf

H.Grant in his letter to the Editor of The Canberra Times (Thursday 5 
September 1996) suggests that the MPs do not deserve their perks... 
What a discovery! I would like to add a suggestion that Mr Howard should as a 
matter of priority replace the intended People's convention on the Republic 
issue with a convention on how the country should be governed and how the 
politicians are to be elected and subsequently made accountable to the people 
who elected them.  Current technology allows for almost immediate response 
and/or vote (referendum) of the electorate on important issues. At the same 
time the current proposed Charter of Budget Honesty should go a bit further 
and be replaced by "Charter of Political Honesty" which would include the 
following :

1. To bring the MPs closer to the people the remuneration should be based on 
the average salary of the workforce, and not exceed a double of it;

2. To make the politicians more accountable to the electorate compulsory open 
forums in their electorates would have to be held regularly to discuss issues 
debated in the Parliament; 

3. To avoid the MPs backing out of their service there should be provisions 
which would prevent them from resigning before their term is finished, and 
their superannuation should not be accessible until they complete their term.

I believe these suggestions would not only bring the politicians closer to the 
people, but also weed out those who are aspiring to the Parliament for wrong 
reasons (personal ambitions, search of financial benefits, etc.), and would 
promote those who would seek election to serve the community.

Lubosh