CAAANBRA: Hide and Seek

For months and months the progressive/left twitterati has been quivering with indignation. Why has the mainstream media forsaken us? Why is the mainstream media giving Tony Abbott and the Coalition such an easy ride to the next federal election?


"It’s not fair!" we whinge silently. The ALP Government has done a pretty good job of governing in what is a hostile environment, but they have comprehensively failed at getting the message out. When they do something good, it’s invariably and unfairly overshadowed by something else, and that something else is often a relatively minor issue of Labor's own making. If you’re a Labor supporter, or even just an interested centre voter, you could be forgiven for thinking that the media favours Tony Abbott and the Coalition.

Everyone has a preference, a perspective, yet like almost everyone I know, I still harbour an expectation that The Media will be objective, fair and honest. I've known for decades that my belief is not always reality, but each time I turn on Fox News, I'm surprised by their partisanship.

The surprise in the Australian media is how the mainstream media can so blatantly support Tony Abbott when he so openly lies, fibs, backflips, flipflops, evades, obfuscates, goes silent and even walks away from the media when the questions get uncomfortable. And he gets away with it by continuing the same behaviour.

Australia's Conservative Media Stars

As columnist and academic Peter Van Onselen reminded us on his Sunday Agenda programme two days ago, it was 482 days since Mr Abbott appeared on the programme. Van Onselen is one of a handful of commentators who have commented in the past week or two that the Leader of the Opposition been getting a very easy ride and not being asked to explain his views. Van Onselen’s opinion piece in the Sunday Telegraph highlights the fickle series of stories Abbott’s been telling State Premiers about the GST disbursement.

When it comes to the GST, Abbott's going around the country telling states what they want to hear. But his comments are entirely inconsistent.

It seems that Mr Abbott is able to say no to repeated invitations to appear on a variety of current affairs shows – a luxury which will not continue beyond the next election, regardless of the result.

He has refused to appear on any of the major ABC current affairs programmes since he was disemboweled by Leigh Sales on 7:30 on August 22nd last year. Even worse, it’s approaching 1000 days since Mr Abbott has appeared on the ABC’s top-rating current affairs chatfest QandA.

But no! Ask Mr Abbott’s camp, and you’ll quickly learn he’s not avoiding the media. He's been giving interviews to stacks of regional and right-wing talk radio hosts, as well as the usual round of doorstop comments and quick pressers, usually accompanied by some combination of hi-viz, hairnet or hard hat. Mr Abbott even appeared with conservative commentator Chris Kenny on the Sky News weekly programme Viewpoint. Mr Kenny noted that so persistent are the calls for Mr Abbott to talk to the media, he raised the subject with Mr Abbott. It must’ve been like landing on a cloud of fairy floss.

CHRIS KENNY:

This is the issue that’s starting to develop for you though in that the Government’s had so much trouble, there’s a sense that you’re looking to skate into government without enough scrutiny as a small target opposition, not putting out your policies, your plan for the country. Now, a lot of your policy work is done. We hear that the IR policy and communications policies are ready to go. Why not get them out there so that the voters of Australia can have a look at them?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well Chris, let’s scotch this myth that there’s been no scrutiny of the Opposition. Every day there would be a half a dozen government ministers who come onto Sky News who do doorstops and interviews attacking the Opposition. I mean this is the most attacked, the most scrutinised Opposition in history because….

CHRIS KENNY:

….They do talk a lot about the Opposition, there’s no doubt about it, we hear AbbottAbbottAbbott from the Government, but what about the policy detail. You need to get an industrial relations policy out there for instance, we also need to know in detail what Malcolm Turnbull plans to do with the NBN. Get that detail out to the public; give the voters your vote of confidence that they can understand your policies.

TONY ABBOTT:

And all in good time Chris. Obviously we are not going to go to polling day with the voters in doubt as to exactly what will happen under a Coalition government. The last thing I want to do is be one of those politicians who says one thing before an election and does the opposite afterwards because that’s why we are in trouble as a political class. Too many members of the current Government – the Prime Minister in particular – have broken faith with the public and that’s the last thing that I will do. But I would, Chris, encourage people to read this book…they can get it online and it’s…

And on it goes, the non-answers, the lack of commitment. The full transcript is worth reading, just to note how often Chris Kenny sees that Mr Abbott is getting into difficulty in answering a question, and gently lets him off the hook and moves onto the next topic. At other times, he simply lets a scripted talking point stand, unchallenged. I’ll bet that Tony Abbott gets tougher questions from Margie than he got from Chris Kenny…which itself is to be expected. Despite a background in media, Mr Kenny spent a decade working in various Liberal Party roles, and even stood – unsuccessfully - for pre-selection to run for the Liberal Party. Chris Kenny is a Liberal Man, and there's a fair chance that should the Coalition form government in September, there will be a plum job somewhere in Canberra for Mr Kenny.

Tony Abbott, wrapped in plastic

Then, we moved to last night' Viewpoint panel. So weighted to the right was last night’s Viewpoint panel, it’s a wonder it didn’t tip my television over. Aside from Mr Kenny, there was

Lee Rhiannon - Greens

Bob Katter - Federal Conservative with his own party

Tim Blair - Conservative Columnist (News Limited)

Miranda Devine - Conservative Commentator

Rather than disproving the suggestions that Mr Abbott is avoiding serious interviews and interviewers, choosing to appear with Chris Kenny reinforces the belief that Mr Abbott is not comfortable across the desk from less sympathetic interviewers, answering tough questions.
And that’s fine. Not everyone excels at debating, and not everyone is comfortable in front of cameras. But no more excuses. Even Chris Kenny has admitted that if the Liberals have policies ready and costed, they should release them - and they are releasing the details of their NBN alternative today.

The problem for the Liberals is that the Prime Minister of Australia needs to have those debating skills, that confidence, ready to fire. Even those closest to Mr Abbott must concede that he is lacking, and that this situation cannot continue.

Caaanbra: Failure to Lose

Yesterday, Sky News Australia’s political guru Peter Van Onselen tweeted "No Liberal candidate is allowed to do national media until AFTER they are elected...inspiring stuff when govt traveling so badly." This comes just a couple of months after The Age reported that Liberal candidates had been urged to shut down their social media accounts.


I suspect that it's not just the candidates, but also the sitting Liberal members, and even their leader who is being censored. With just over six months until the Federal Election, what can you say about a campaign strategy that discourages any sniff of communication that hasn't been entirely pasteurised, homogenised and dare I suggest, scripted, approved, rehearsed, spray-tanned and botoxed by the Party Machine. It's an approach that stinks of a lack of trust in the leader, every sitting Liberal member and every Liberal candidate.

Think for a moment. The Liberal Party Campaign does not trust it’s own people to communicate its message...and yet it expects us to vote for them and trust them to run our country? Based on recent polls, we probably will vote for the Coalition in great enough numbers to see them form government, but that’s assuming that t here’s no game changer between now and the election.

So the Liberal plan looks clear enough. Be vewy vewy quiet, let the ALP trip over themselves, stoke the dislike of Julia Gillard in a series of carefully crafted media events, and wait for the country to vote against the ALP. Next Step: claim victory early in the evening of September 14.

It's the inevitable Claytons strategy. After all, how do you plan communications for a political campaign that's short on both policy and personality? Even the Silent Treatment is risky, particularly when it's difficult to keep the team quiet. If the Campaign can't trust the candidates to say the right thing, it's unlikely they can be trusted to say nothing.

Fopr example, it might be difficult to keep Andrew Laming quiet. Despite having been in parliament for nine years, those years have been eventful. There were enquiries about $67,000 worth of dubious printing costs, his claim to be a social media expert (versus the reality that his social media activities are often ill-considered) and last week’s revelations that he had included a shot of a man flashing his man-bits at the camera in his latest brochure. It seems that communication is not really his forte: that's dangerous for a politician.

Still, credit where credit is due. Mr Laming has not tweeted for 13 days. The same can’t be said for members of the shadow cabinet, who must be exempt from the ban on social media.

Meanwhile, two of the higher profile Liberal candidates are Mal Brough, who’s contesting Peter Slipper’s seat of Fisher, and Bill Glasson, who is taking on Kevin Rudd in Griffith. Neither of them of are tweeting, although Mal Brough does has a twitter account of sorts.

Social media isn’t the only perceived danger zone, though. Here in Griffith, I’ve heard almost nothing of Bill Glasson since he was announced as the Liberal Candidate for Kevin Rudd’s seat. Surely the Liberal executive must believe he has a chance to beat Mr Rudd; as a former head of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Glasson has name recognition already, and would be a good candidate for most seats – but Kevin Rudd has enormous loyalty and in the past year, has been an energetic and highly visible local member.

Despite the LNP directive, Bill Glasson appeared on Nine’s Today Show in mid February, and accused Mr Rudd of neglecting his electorate.

STEFANOVIC: He [Rudd] is 61% in the polls. He is 61% as the favourite PM. He’s been in that seat since 1998. He is always up there holding community gatherings. He is very busy in his local electorate. He hasn’t neglected them. You can’t win!

GLASSON: I can win, Karl! I can win. He has neglected his electorate, I am sorry. He’s just come back to re-find the electorate. I think he’s been using the electorate, in many respects, as a springboard for his own career and, as I said, as I move around and talk to the people of Griffith there is a significant mood for change.

It’s rare that I agree with Karl Stefanovic, but in this case, he is correct. If you’re in any doubt about just how much Mr Rudd does around Griffith, check out his Facebook page, where every appearance in the electorate is detailed, most with photographs. Perhaps Andrew Laming could take some lessons from @KRuddMP on how to use social media effectively.



Selections from Mr Rudd's Facebook page from the past few days

 Looking beyond the election, if the Liberals can keep their powder dry until September 14, what can we expect from a Liberal Prime Minister and Coalition Government? With his minders shielding him from serious political interviews, is it likely that Prime Minister Abbott – if that’s what happens – will be as open with the media as previous Prime Ministers?

Or will he continue to prepare for major public appearances with a script, fake tan and a comb-over? Will he agree to quick chats here and there, without becoming becoming silent and visibly shaking for well over a minute, because he needs to control his urge to bop his media opponent on the nose? Will he take questions during press conferences, or like George W Bush, will he read a scripted statement and then vacate the podium?

How much media freedom would Liberal ministers have? Last week Scott Morrison spoke his mind about asylum seekers in the community and Tony Abbott backed him, despite Morrison’s words being some of the most appalling sentiments ever expressed by a politician. Also last week, Joe Hockey couldn’t articulate his own party’s policies regarding compensation related to repealing the carbon tax, but he spoke anyway, and then had to clean up the mess he made. Poor Joe has been the subject of Liberal Party concern for years now. "Treasurer Hockey" might deliver the Budget, but will he be trusted to sell it?

Cory Bernardi is another worry - he virtually removed himself to the opposition backbench after revealing that his personal values are lightyears to the right of the Libs. Julie Bishop couldn’t be trusted to keep the contents of confidential security briefings to herself. Christopher Pyne can always be counted on to say something ridiculous, and of course, Andrew Laming is never far from some kind of stupidity. Just give him an ipad, a twitter account and a spare half hour and he can get busy insulting people all over the country.

Despite all of that, I have more fundamental concerns as a voter, and for the voters of Australia. Is it acceptable that some of our politicians and candidates are being discouraged from speaking to the voters? No-one says they have to communicate with their electorates, but it's usually considered a big part of the job of campaigning and governing. This bizarre strategy might see the Coalition take power, but is it a win? Or is it just a failure to lose?