From the archive: The rise of the staffer brat

This article on the conduct of ministerial advisers first appeared in October 2016. It made such a mark that it was republished in The Weekend Australian. After this week’s revelations, it’s worth revisiting to see how much we called out then — and, sadly, how little has changed.

Once again politics and budgie smugglers have divided a nation and provided days of rather unusual commentary.

The familiarity is comforting.

So it’s come to pass that Jack Walker, a Turnbull government adviser, was one of nine men arrested in Malaysia after a premeditated strip at the local Grand Prix.

Clad in undies depicting the Malaysian flag, they drank from the shoes of victory and, remarkably, offended the deeply conservative…