Katharine Murphy: It's time for a federal Icac

One the journalists I respect most, Katharine Murphy of The Guardian, discusses why it is important for our democracy that we don't just give a pass to the Coalition for the Sports Rorts affair.

Katharine Murphy makes an interesting point; that the changing societal and political environment - where "politicians are bolder, and we who watch them on behalf of voters are weaker institutionally" is making the necessity of a national anti-corruption commission more urgent than ever.

This makes sense, politicians are bolder because society is more polarised and divided; they know "their side" will ignore or forgive indiscretions or even corruption for fear of giving ammunition to their political opponents.

Media organisations are weaker than ever, struggling to find a business model that makes sense in the world of Facebook and Google but still allows for robust public interest journalism. The closure of AAP is another instance that highlights this struggle.

The combination of these factors brings us to where we are today; a government where the standards are no higher than what they can get away with and a Prime Minster willing to bluff his way through interviews for any level of scandal with spin and avoidance.

Writing in The Age, Jacqueline Maley makes a similar point - "Democracy ... is a fiction, or at least an abstract, only as strong as the people who abide by the web of conventions that holds it together". Arguably we are failing in the maintenance of democracy, highlighted in the falling trust in our politicians, our institutions and of democracy itself.

If we are to reverse this decline, an important first step is ensuring the community has trust in our politicians, what they tell us and their actions.