Here’s a thread for discussing the communication efforts from the parties, the candidates and the “strategists”. Let’s kick it off by noting what’s getting top billing on The Australian‘s web site:
THE Labor Party’s attempts to control the campaign for the August 21 election are reaching new levels of Kevin Rudd-style control-freakery.
Party operatives telephoned journalists this morning to advise them on what questions they should ask Tony Abbott.
At the same time as Julia Gillard is being criticised for constantly refusing to address questions at her press conferences, her Labor machine now appears to want to want to write Mr Abbott’s.
The ALP is trying to engage in media management and even going to the lengths of calling journos with suggested questions to put to their opponents? They’re using “spin” in an election campaign? How very very dare they!
This shocking expose comes from Matthew Franklin, whose prior work includes the scoop report on the Rudd government’s incompetent practice of insisting that old buildings be demolished before construction begins on their replacements. And it runs in The Australian, which DeanL notes has an apparent trend in its reporting at the moment.
Yet it still takes a special kind of thinking to consider this news. Yes, the political parties are going to have a communication strategy and are going to try to shape media coverage. Yes, we’re going to continue to be frustrated at how stage-managed this entire campaign is, whether it’s the debate or the press conferences or the policy announcements or the photo ops.
Does that mean this sort of behind-the-scenes work becomes the news? And what is the fact that Franklin says the Coalition wasn’t doing the same thing last week supposed to indicate? Should we take it as a sign of Labor’s desperation? A sign that the Coalition is playing it “clean”? Or is it just a reflection that the Coalition haven’t had their communications strategy in place? As Christian Kerr reported last week (with follow-up the next day), the Liberal Party campaign headquarters wasn’t launched until last Thursday.
And is the media’s role to beat up the spin efforts, as franklin has done, or try to cut through them?
40 Comments
This is a follow up to DeanL post in the open thread. On News Ltd’s Election 2010 pages they have a part called the Easy Election Guide which summarises the “big” issues. From what I have seen so far they seem to have a similar theme of Labor has messed this up and Abbott and the Libs will fix it.
One that really caught my eye was Child Care and the reporting of Abbotts anouncement today. There are two Government supplements for Child Care -
CCB (Child Care Benefit) which is a reduction in the fees you pay based on income, so the less you earn the greater reduction you get in fees.
CCR (Child Care Rebate) which is a 50% rebate of your out of pocket child care expenses capped at $7500 per child.
In this years Budget Labor froze the maximum CCR at $7500 for the next four years. Today Two Tone announced he will restore indexation of the rebate and according to News ” giving about $300 a year more per child to families”. Well not really, it will only impact those families at the high end of the income scale who do not receive the CCB reduction, most families will get nothing extra from this bit smoke and mirrors.
Also while News notes that Labor changed the CCR to be paid quarterly instead of yearly, they fail to mention that Labor also increased the rebate from 30% to 50% when elected in 2007.
“And it runs in The Australian, which DeanL notes has an apparent trend in its reporting at the moment.
Hi, Tobby.
I don’t think the ten top-read stories actually indicate a “trend in reporting”. Do you?
Given that The Australian has been effectively running the election campaign well before Rudd’s defenestration, this is risible.
Peter Martin on the kitchen economics politics being played by both major parties, and their failure to address the questions about a double dip recession. I haven’t read the transcript he provides (yawn!), but IIRC the question was asked by Laura Tingle.
http://petermartin.blogspot.com/2010/07/debate-notes-what-if-they-had-used.html
good grief what a studio full of guffawing seals QnA is tonight…i hear lots of Labor kicking, but not a single Coalition solution.
Quantize,
Did you get the impression the QandA audience was stacked with Liberal plants?
Well at least one climate denialist was identified in the audience…but no, after seeing part of a repeat of last week’s Insight, I’m utterly convinced Coalition voters are just very loud in their approval of simplistic drivel.
I guess we get a couple here, they huff and puff for pages in a desperate attempt to convince themselves they’re not bigots, homophobes or denialists..
I guess it’s like the Boltoids…I just hope they’re not a valid sample of the electorate, or we’re certainly doomed.
Pedro, I wouldn’t give a list of the “most read” articles too much weight on its own. But in this case, it fits with my observation of the general pattern of stories they are (i) publishing and (ii) giving prominent placement on their web site — including Franklin’s nonsense piece, but not limited to it.
This is an interesting development, particularly given Bob Brown and Julia Gillard’s insistence that no deals have been done over preferences:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/greens-candidate-quits-over-labor-deal/story-fn59niix-1225897218381
I guess the Greens are no more adverse to telling fibs than the major parties — gotta love politicians.
*Complains about spin*
*Prints nothing but official PR from governments and companies*
*Is an Australian newspaper*
Tobby: “But in this case, it fits with my observation…”
A dangerous (and shabby) practice, Tobby.
Look at it this way. Something fit George Bush’s observation and suddenly there were weapons of mass destruction everywhere…
Pedro was against the Iraq invasion, is that correct?
qantize should be getting on with his homework and not fighting with his mummy over finishing his vegetables, is that correct?
GavinM: LP sink the boot into Christine Milne’s dog whistling on food insecurity.
And I note today Bob Brown again praising Abbott’s regressive PPL scheme, which it now appears pays only the woman’s salary – fathers who stay at home get nothing. Brown apparently supports the additional tax on big business to pay for the scheme. But remember his criticism over the government for only delivering a company tax cut of 29%, not 28% in its RSPT/MRRT resolutions? And remember too that Greens policy is to *raise* company tax (for all businesses) to 33%.
But nobody pulls Brown up on his inconsistencies.
Well, Pedro, seeing as you shun shabby practice, why don’t you do an analysis of the Oz’s reporting and see if you can refute our observations with some objective analysis of the headlines and then we decide. Off you go then.
Get ready the ‘she does not bare children therefore cannot be trusted’ campaign is getting started…just wait till they get to the non-god bothering aspect of the PM
this is gonna be very grubby.
Liberal Don Randall has already gone there.
Link for 16 above
http://larvatusprodeo.ozblogistan.com.au/2010/07/25/god-boats-and-rocks/
Suspect this isn’t good publicity for Steve “Votes from anyone is what I’m” Fielding:
Family First seeks preferences deal with Australan Sex Party
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/in-depth/family-first-seeks-preferences-deal-with-australan-sex-party/story-fn5rizbk-1225897725966
Suspect (and hope for SF’s sake) it might be a nasty stunt from the ASP.
A question for discussion: Isn’t it time that someone questioned the Coalition’s (seemingly) only economic policy of promising budget supluses. Is the collecting of excess taxation and claiming that taking more of our money away from us than they need to spend on services for us really a good thing? Especially when they then run down the process of spending that money when the rainy day they claim it’s for, eventuates?
surpluses
Tony Abbott allegedly flogged his book at taxpayer expense.
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2965933.htm
It’s small bikkies in the overall scheme of things, but highlights the rank hypocracy of this man.
Ah thanks for the advice Pedro but it’s all desperate projection on your behalf….I run my own business (I can stop by anytime and show you up for the hypocrite you seem so comfortable being) and am happily married…how shocking for your mind to comprehend I’m every bit the adult you claim to be.
I found where the science comes from.
http://www.elissa.info/political/blog/?p=281#respond
ROFLMAO
.
Quantize: “I run my own business …”
Hahahhaaaaa. The only “business” a devout leftie “owns” is robbing his family and friends of stuff and selling it on ebay…. while trying not to sleep through Days of our Lives!
^
I get the whole encouraging opposing viewpoints etc etc, but surely posts like that are blatant trolling and shouldn’t be acceptable.
DesBenkt, I understand where you’re coming from but we try not to deny or remove too much, especially when it’s back and forth between the commenters — as long as it’s not interfering with the actual meaningful discussion. I also tend to think publishing inane or trolling comments lets the other readers form an opinion about the level of argument a commenter will engage in, and whether it’s worth responding to.
I’ll post this in here because it is by Arthur Sinodinos, Howard’s former chief-of-staff, but it could viably go into any of the other threads. And what a wild rant it is! I chiefly scorn his silly, unfunny attempt to coin another nickname for Julia Gillard: La Gillardine. He makes two big mistakes with this: firstly, he defuses its effect by using it every time he mentions her; and secondly, it’s not clear what the “joke” is. Is it a pun on Madame La Guillotine? That’s as close as I can get. No wonder he was Howard’s right-hand man: he’s utterly without wit.
monkeywrench @ 28: I’ve noticed in news ltd threads the commenters refer to Gillard as La Gillardine, or La Guillotine – presumably they think it’s clever.
Around the time of Abbott Ascension, Sinodinos wrote a column in which he gushed that Abbott was a modern day Spartacus. This happened round the same time that Albrechtsten was telling women we’d be swooning over Abbott’s chest fur, so I put it down to a strange, but hilarious infatuation developing at the Oz that was clouding their editorial judgement.
It’s hilarious to see Sinodinos is continuing with the Spartacus theme, because from what know of Abbott and his addiction to Workchoices, his staunch defence of the big miners to rape and pillage our country without paying for it, and his intent to cut social services, the last person I’d be comparing him with is someone who lead the poor and downtrodden out of the wilderness. It is so consistent with the conservative world view to position themselves as the oppressed and hard done by.
Yes, those hicks in rural areas are no doubt very happy with their dial up and wobbly Telstra NextG wireless services thank you very much. What do farmers need the internet for anyway?!
Idiots. The opposition really would have the country sent backwards.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/29/2967193.htm
Confessions
Well it is hopefully apt in one sense, you have to remember that Spartacus was crushed by Crassus and his followers were crucified along the Appian way. Maybe Tone will share the Thracian’s fate?
I’m almost certain the origin of “La Gillardine” lies with Annabel Crabb — a reference to the way she not only repealed WorkChoices but extracted the maximum pain and humiliation as she did so, and a name that has stuck (Crabb continues to use it). Interesting that Coalition strategists and supporters have picked up its use as well.
how about this from the Heart of the Nation (Aus) today (29/7).
Under “Latest videos”
1) Gillard on the nose…
3) Angry Kevin watch (from the chasers..)
4) Labor split over parental leave
#2 appears to be about another photogenic Russian spy arrested in the US.
the greens must be pleased, according to Arthur (‘Spartacus’) Sinodinos.
The greens are poised to “grab control of the Senate”, that is a big jump from their current 5 senators…
“La Gillardine” is rather clumsy and not in the same class as the East Bumcrack gag. It’s hardly become common currency, has it?
Evil gangs of knife wielding Muslim terrorist boat people coming to get us.
In increasing numbers.
>>And he said the Coalition would toughen penalties for those caught carrying knives and increase restrictions on knife imports.
“The current Government has let our country down when it comes to policing,” he said.
“Knives are helping to make our streets far less safe.” <<
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/29/2967608.htm
wtf???
Jules,
perhaps it is a very subtle reference to the ALP coup last month….
naaah you are right much too smart for them.
Ha! AB is castigating The Age for its choice of words here:
“Campaign descends into law-and-order brawl”
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-election/society/campaign-descends-into-lawandorder-brawl-20100729-10x7u.html?autostart=1
AB’s response:
Rising violence? Yeah, right. But I have no problem with a ban on flick knives and knuckledusters – I can’t see any reason why they’re allowed in the first place. Of course, it’ll have to mean a bit of extra money for customs – and it’s worth pointing out Andrew’s brief flirtation with the “more guns, less violence” fantasy a few months back. But that’s not the funny bit. The funny bit is Andrew’s complete lack of concern about this:
From the Oz: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/abbott-vows-to-take-on-violent-gangs-as-law-and-order-takes-campaign-centre-stage/story-fn59niix-1225898388368
Meanwhile, the libs are staying away from all that muckraking stuff the nasty labor party resorts to:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/election/julia-gillards-boyfriend-tim-mathieson-is-a-man-in-a-hurry/story-fn5zm695-1225898721549
Naturally, morally serious AB quotes and links it. Not because he’s into that muckraking stuff – he even admits that it’s “trivial yet unhelpful” (but somehow still worth quoting and linking) – but because it’s “rare news”. That’s interesting. I’m not sure I knew anything at all about Janette Howard’s driving record before she was elected.
I think they’re misjudging. Nobody is going to give an toot, and even people who don’t like the ALP are going to wonder how the press got the information. I’m told its easy to get a traffic ticket in victoria (but not me, and I’ve deserved them), so nobody’s going to be judging the guy on that. Of course, there’s another angle – he was driving a … Camry. Hated vehicle of the right. Symbol of labor socialism.
Matthew @ 38: last night on Sky, Abbott’s crackdown on knives and street gangs had metamorphosed into “tackling organised crime”. I suppose they were desperately searching for any way in which state police matters could ever be justified as federal priorities.