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The misadventures of Troy
It is said by some that Australia is the most governed country in the world, and that may be so. Perth is a collection of independent cities, each with its own council and an overarching Lord Mayor. Surrounding the cities are shires, probably the equivalent of counties or districts, and above all of them the State Government with both an upper and lower house. At Federal Government level there are also upper and lower houses and they are Australia’s supreme law-making and governing bodies. With both state and federal governments making laws, and cities and shires similarly empowered, there are rules aplenty, but all within a strict pecking order. Federal laws take precedence over state laws and so on down the chain, but it is not quite that simple. It is a quite complex myriad; here in Western Australia, for example, there are state labour laws, conservatively based on those of the last Liberal Federal Government and federal laws which come from the ever-so-slightly more progressive Labor Party. The two sets of laws come from diametrically opposing philosophical points of view but somehow they co-exist, federal law prevailing only where there is a conflict between the two separate sets of legislation.
Confused? Then add in the relationship between contract and legislation and what should be the international principle that legislation takes precedence over contract. Simply put, people cannot enter into contracts which conflict with existing laws. But here it is not quite that straightforward; some contracts enabled under federal legislation can take priority over state laws. In the university sector, for example, collective agreements are formed under federal law even though each agreement is made with a local university on an individual or enterprise basis. And in what seems completely inconsistent with the law of contract, these agreements override state laws even though they are enforced within the state. And on that basis I’ve given up trying to understand it all.
But if that is a problem, the State Liberal Government has a greater problem of its own this week. Treasurer, Troy Buswell, who has survived a “chair-sniffing” incident with one of his staffers and another where, at a function, drunk, he snapped open the bra clip of a Labor opposition member, has today been forced to admit an affair with the local Green member for Fremantle. Buswell had little choice; the story broke at the weekend with Green Adele Carles admitting the truth of rumours of a four-month affair with Buswell. In a written statement, Carles said that, although she could portray herself as the vulnerable one who had been taken advantage of, this was not true and that they made a mutual, albeit stupid decision as two consenting adults.
In a press conference today, Buswell admitted the affair and of misusing parliamentary entitlements so he and Carles could meet, and between the pair of them they may have set the world’s record for the number of resulting apologies. Perhaps the Guinness Book of Records should be consulted? Carles publicly apologised to her husband and three daughters, her mother, father and brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law and brothers-in-law and their extended families, to Troy Buswell’s wife and their children, to her fellow State Green MPs, Bob Brown and the federal Greens, their voters and supporters, the Premier, state parliamentary colleagues and staff at Parliament House, the Labor Party and to her constituents in Fremantle. Buswell repeatedly apologised to the Premier, his wife, boys, colleague and constituents.
To Buswell’s credit, his misadventures have been with women from the broad range of political hues which shows that, sexually at least, he is not driven by ideology; and it is as well, he says these incidents haven’t affected the way he has done his job.
Buswell has become well-practised at apologies; when confessing to the chair-sniffing incident, after two-years of denial, he broke down and cried. Today the admission was less emotional, he having clearly toughened up in the face of adversity. His was a prepared speech in which he neatly sidestepped all major questions of public interest.
This is a tough one for the State Government, and it is always a pleasure to watch conservative governments struggle with their demons. Buswell says he won’t be stepping down but he may have to think again. Despite being Treasurer, he was recently done twice for incorrectly claiming parliamentary travel expenses; it seems he did not know the geographical difference between Perth and Busselton, some two and a half hours south. This time, however, he has admitted using his ministerial car to facilitate the affair and to paying for accommodation on his parliamentary credit card and this may be his undoing. Odds are that the Premier, Colin Barnett will have no choice to sack him, despite only a week ago describing Buswell as the best treasurer in the world.
And while there may be trouble in state political circles, we have had trouble on our own doorstep. Just down the road at the Bayswater Hotel, there was a brawl on Saturday night. More than thirty people started scrapping in the pub, moved to the car park and then, with authorities on the way, “fled” to the nearby Bayswater train station.
That’s my station and this is all a bit too close for comfort. It is as well I was tucked up asleep at the time.

Postscript: Buswell resigned today after discussions with Premier Barnett. It was claiming expenses wot did 'm in.