[mmerlin]

Thanks to the Wikileaks effect of the internet (rapid info declassification + sharing) more corruption is able to be exposed, and the scale is shocking and enormous.

The hardest part is then trying to change a known-to-be-corrupt system, when those who write the rules always do so in their favour.

Here in Australia we have slid into the bottom 10 percent of global corruption index [0]

Politicians, lawyers, accountants, and realestate agents have conspired to repeatedly prevent AML from being introduced to Australia since 2002.

Whistleblowers get threatened with life-destroying jail terms.

Politicians "retire" then take up cushy directorships with numerous companies they previously wrote seemingly treasonous laws for (dozens of slap-in-the-face-blatant corruption yet it continues on with impunity or any punishment except for maybe losing an election or a gravy train contract).

[0] https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/cpi-2021-corruption-wat...

[sjy]

Source shows the opposite: although Australia is declining in the rankings, it remains in the top 10% of least corrupt countries.

[mmerlin]

Thanks you are correct and I will fact check my posts a bit more next time.

I thought our last 15 years of politicians were massively unaccountable and corrupted by self-created taxpayer slush funds plus lobbyist megabucks, corporate kickbacks and post-politics directorships.

I suppose politicians everywhere are essentially driven by the same human frailties, yet mostly worse than what I am seeing locally!