Seems Cansdellgate just won't lie down and die.
Here's what the Examiner's Tim Howard wrote today:
Differing face of 'justice': Identical crimes in separate countries but penalties poles apart
This story has a familiar ring to it, except for the bit right at the end.
Years later things between them sour and the woman tells authorities she has taken the fall for the politician, who eventually 'fesses up.
A by-election is called in his seat, the politician is forced to give up a promising post. His political career is over.
In time the politician and his accuser end up in court.
They are both sentenced to eight months' jail after the court found them guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice. There are serious inquiries about how much other senior politicians in the party knew about their indiscretions.
People in the Clarence Valley will recognise parallels to the case of former Clarence MP Steve Cansdell, who resigned his seat over the scandal of a false statutory declaration to save him from a speeding fine.
This is the story of former British MP Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce, who were sentenced in an English court this week.
While the details differ between the two stories, the thrust of the narrative is the same: a person of influence uses another person to avoid a scandal. When the relationship unravels, the truth comes out and there is a price to pay.
As I said, the difference in the story is the bit at the end.
While the court case aired a bit of dirty laundry, the details of the story came out and the British public were left in no doubt justice had been done and, more importantly, seen to be done.
In Australia there was no such satisfaction. Mr Cansdell was well and truly punished for his indiscretion, but in no way was justice seen to be done.
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