Corruption goes deeper than a few bad apples

JUST when it seemed that the Brumby Government was poised to sweep away the factional warlords named in the Ombudsman's report on Brimbank Council, an internal ALP document has drawn attention to the pervasiveness of the branch-stacking that gives the faction bosses their power. Last week Eric Dearricott, secretary of the tiny independents faction, attended ALP headquarters for "deadline renewal day" - the final day for payment of dues by rank-and-file members - and took notes on what he saw. His report tells of an array of practices that flout party rules designed to prevent branch stacking. It demonstrates that rules alone achieve nothing if the culture of the institution undermines them.