Politicians are notorious for lying and misleading the public, leading us to develop expectations that they won’t follow through with their word at the best of times. It’s these lies that actively ruin public faith in the Australian government – therefore; it’s time we held our politicians financially accountable for their lies, misleading statements and inaccurate remarks to voters.

Our nations political system relies on honestly and transparency in order to work at it’s best. If we want to tackle genuine issues and to continue making progress in government, voters need an accurate representation of who their voting for or what their representatives in government are doing – something which doesn’t realistically happen with a system that fails to punish those who blatantly mislead Australians regarding their own actions or plans.

As a member of the Australian public, you deserve candidates and representation in parliament that provide you with truthful information and accurate claims. I know politicians are known for the opposite, but that’s only because we have a system that lets them be so.

Corporations get faced with penalties and legal action for lying about products or for providing misleading claims regarding their services – so why shouldn’t politicians face the same?

Why are businesses hit with whopping fines for lying to you, but your local MP isn’t?

The proposal: Hold politicians financially and legally accountable for blatantly lying, misleading or providing false claims to the public – both during time as a candidate or while in office.

We need a system that financially punishes politicians for their lies; we’ve gone long enough without it.

Photo Credit: The Australian