Your treasurer is quite a character…
All of Australia has heard about our former treasurer, for the wrong reasons.
A mate of mine who works in a Sydney newsroom emailed yesterday.
“What the hell is Troy Buswell up to?” he asked. “Only in Perth. You clowns in the Wild West are out of control.” I had a one word reply.
“Yup.”
This morning, my cousin from Melbourne couldn’t resist this sage observation.
“Your treasurer seems quite a character.”
Here in the West, it’s all we’ve talked about for a couple of days. Oh and the Dockers.
Back to the ex treasurer, Mr Buswell. It is bad enough that we have to bring up the old episode of what he did to that chair (still can’t bring myself to type it or say it) but the whole episode has been like seeing a dead animal on the side of the road. Once you notice it’s there, you can’t turn away…you almost feel compelled to check out how it died, and how badly.
There is so much to be learned from this sad, grubby and messy episode. Here’s a bit to ponder.
- You can’t lie. Not even a little bit. Folks, there’s no such thing as just a little bit of integrity. It’s like being a little bit pregnant. I’m not just pointing the finger at our politicians. It’s for all of us in business. Particularly those of us in the communication space. In my opinion, authenticity and transparency are the ONLY acceptable currencies in modern PR and communications. But more on that another day…
- For those in public life especially, new media means there are fewer places to hide. If you haven’t already done so, check out Paul Murray’s excellent piece in yesterday’s West Australian.
- Choice and consequences, people… it’s that simple. The only thing I admire most about Adele Carles is her refusal to paint herself as a victim. She made a stupid choice and said as much. Smart move because the real victims here are her husband, Troy’s missus and all of their children.
- Perhaps not with in regards to these exact circumstances, BUT in some way or another, at some point in time, in some circumstances of greater degree or smaller – we can all say there but for the grace of God, go all of us.
