Politicians are said to be bet for lots of reasons.
The crimes of Milton Orkopoulos are barely remembered outside NSW. It is hard enough to stay awake when following the politicians in one's own state perhaps. If he had restricted his criminal activity to personal possession of marijuana the chances are he would never have been charged, but he used it as a lure to insinuate this way into the lives of minors, who he used for his personal sexual gratification. He became a sexual predator.
Rex Jackson's crimes stemmed from an addiction to gambling. Still, how compulsive can the punt be? The great irony of his abuse-of-office offence is that no harm followed from his crime. Prison minister goes to a jail - only in Australia.
Bent Pollies, John Kerr
The problem with bent pollies is that it's all too easy to forget the excesses, the nasties, the downright corrupt. BENT POLLIES is a book that in John Kerr's inimitable style reminds us, all too clearly, to keep an eye on all levels of society.
This book covers some of the stories that seemed to have dropped a bit from public conscience - Milton Orkopoulos from NSW was a sexual predator. Full stop, nothing more to be said really, although Kerr gives us the background of how he managed to get himself into the position he did. Rex Jackson was a Prison Minister, who ended up in Prison corruption - gambling got him in the end. Sir John Bjelke-Peterson was tried, but never convicted, and the story of what happened on his jury is frankly gobsmacking. From there we go to Crime Bosses, and whilst many of these "characters" have been covered in other books, again, it's Kerr's ironic, wry tone that makes this compelling reading. The final part of the book is then about Drug Runners.
This book (and the smaller individual ones that make it up) are designed as "Commuter Crime" - small, pointed, interesting and revealing little snippets to read when you have a few moments. Probably just as well I can't catch public transport. I'd be guaranteed to miss my stop.
Bent Pollies, and the most recent book A Pack of Bloody Animals are available for purchase from Kerr Publishing: (http://www.kerrpublishing.com.au)