Many of Tony Abbott's most controversial ideas arise from his particular brand of Catholicism, which seems to be conservative, obedient and moralistic. Generally, media are savage towards politicians who preach their morals, but Abbott's apparent candour has probably disarmed his critics somewhat. When he thought he had discovered a child from an old relationship for example, he sought neither to conceal the fact nor to justify his actions.
His latest revelation however, was not received lightly. Asked on national television about the reliability of his sometimes contradictory policy announcements, Abbott said he often made statements that he regarded as throwaway lines. He hastened to add that when he read from a script, he was speaking the truth.
Discussion ensued about the advisability of Abbott's confession. Predictably, his critics and opponents said this admission showed Abbott was unreliable and untrustworthy. His supporters claimed Abbott was being 'up front' with the people, and Abbott himself claimed he was trying to be 'fair dinkum'.
Two issues are at stake here. First there is the general moral issue around the principle of telling the truth, usually termed 'honesty'. Secondly there is a distinctly political sense in which the people can expect to be told the truth by their elected representatives.
Individuals should aspire to be honest. We all fail in this at times, usually because we fear the consequences of telling the truth. The term 'white lie' has been coined to justify situations where we want to avoid harming others but not ourselves. Clearly, when a politician lies, he or she fears that honesty would incur political penalties such as destruction of image and loss of support.
It is at this point that the politician has the opportunity to demonstrate a sincere commitment to honesty. He or she should let the people decide whether they value the politician's honesty, even if it causes them disappointment or reveals something unpleasant about their representative.
It is not Abbott's prerogative to tell people how they should react to the truth. Indeed, lying to the people shows complete disdain for them. Taking the people for granted is a cardinal political sin. Politicians might get away with deceiving the people sometimes, but the importance of honesty in the operations of a democracy is recognised in the formal requirement that MPs speak truthfully inside parliament.
There is an ancient philosophical problem called the 'Liar's paradox'. The problem usually takes the form of a phrase along the lines of 'I am lying'. The paradox is that the speaker can only be telling the truth if they are, as they have stated, lying; but of course, if they are lying, by definition they can not be telling the truth.
For the politician, a reputation for lying creates its own deep mistrust in the electorate. Abbott's attempt to excuse his dishonesty by distinguishing written from oral statements cannot work. For a start, there is the question of whether Abbott made this pitch while speaking extempore or reading from a prepared script. The electorate can now never know when Abbott is even attempting to be honest. Apparently, he would happily accept electoral support even while knowing that he has deceived the people.
Few keen observers will be surprised that Abbott has been caught in this conundrum. During the 1999 campaign for Constitutional reform, Abbott opposed the compromise republican model in which the parliament would ultimately choose the head of state, by asserting that you cannot trust politicians with such important decisions. Clearly, this claim contained its own paradox, because Abbott proposed this political cynicism while expecting people to take his advice.
Abbott made another attempt to place himself on the side of political honesty when he began a fund and campaign to have the One Nation Party investigated for political fraud. Among his parliamentary attacks on One Nation's organisers, Abbott accused them of being 'chronic and habitual liars'. Now that Abbott has made his possibly true confession, critics will recall a more recent assertion that a man dying of asbestosis was not necessarily pure of heart in all things.
Whether or not Abbott survives the fallout from his gaffe, dishonesty in politics must not be condoned. National moral leadership should be rededicated to honesty and truth because fair dinkum democracy is impossible without it.
Tony Smith holds a PhD in political science. He has taught at several universities, most recently at the University of Sydney.