Actew running political ads?

Gungahlin Al said :

“I have ZERO problem with actors being used in ads such as these.”

Agreed – if the script does not imply that they are part of the organisation. Saying “At ACTEW, we are…” implies he’s part of it.

Try and apply that standard to gee, I dunno, just about every single television commercial out there?

With the exception of a few local businesses, advertisers employ actors to represent their company. I’d like to think we’re all intelligent enough to realise and accept that.

Ralph said :

Until ACTEW water is privatised it will always be used as an agenda barrow and political mouthpiece for the government of the day.

I am in two minds about privatisation.

On the one hand, there are certainly good reasons for government ownership of utilities.

On the other hand, the day that Optus first started trading we ran from the arms of Telecom with joy, celebration and a kind of light-headed giddiness.

Monopolies tend to treat customers with all the respect of, well, a monopoly. It was so liberating to have some choice, and to be finally treated as a valued customer by somebody. The arrogance of the Telecom ‘corporate’ culture was positively Stanhopian.

I think ACTEW need to take a good hard look at themselves, and rethink their whole image in the community.

jakez said :

Gungahlin Al said :

“I have ZERO problem with actors being used in ads such as these.”

Agreed – if the script does not imply that they are part of the organisation. Saying “At ACTEW, we are…” implies he’s part of it.

So question is how much deception is acceptable? Is it a part-pregnant kind of thing?

Like as a parent trying to explain to your kid why a certain lie you’ve told is OK – you just know they’re thinking “BS”. Which is kind of what was going through my mind when I first saw the ACTEW ad…

Wait a minute? Actors?

So you are saying all those people from the unions anti workchoices ads didn’t really lose their jobs?

whoa, there. the union ads were the actual people who lost their jobs, if they agreed to appear in the ads.

The bloke needs a haircut, not a good look.

A couple of points, first is that Michael Costello is no longer affiliated with ACTEW. McKay took over as chairman recently.

A more broader question is the extent to which ACTEW water (the ACT Government bit) should be lumped-in with the other arm of ACTEW, owned by AGL and Singapore. Not quite clear how many ‘synergies’ may be involved with this arrangement, but there is an obvious possibility of taxpayer funds cross subsidising the privately owned components.

Until ACTEW water is privatised it will always be used as an agenda barrow and political mouthpiece for the government of the day.

Gungahlin Al said :

“I have ZERO problem with actors being used in ads such as these.”

Agreed – if the script does not imply that they are part of the organisation. Saying “At ACTEW, we are…” implies he’s part of it.

So question is how much deception is acceptable? Is it a part-pregnant kind of thing?

Like as a parent trying to explain to your kid why a certain lie you’ve told is OK – you just know they’re thinking “BS”. Which is kind of what was going through my mind when I first saw the ACTEW ad…

Wait a minute? Actors?

So you are saying all those people from the unions anti workchoices ads didn’t really lose their jobs?

Can’t recall seeing these ads yet, but I absolutely cringe when the Canberra Milk ads come on.

“I have ZERO problem with actors being used in ads such as these.”

Agreed – if the script does not imply that they are part of the organisation. Saying “At ACTEW, we are…” implies he’s part of it.

So question is how much deception is acceptable? Is it a part-pregnant kind of thing?

Like as a parent trying to explain to your kid why a certain lie you’ve told is OK – you just know they’re thinking “BS”. Which is kind of what was going through my mind when I first saw the ACTEW ad…

I would have recognised him if he was from ‘Playschool’.

Mr ACTEW is actually one of the actors from the ABC kids show “Blue Water High”

Maybe he was working as an engineer at ACTEWAGL, but recently left Canberra for a better life as a teacher in Sydney? 🙂

Oh, I wouldn’t worry … a commendation from ACTEW is like vilification from a more respected organisation.

; )

There’s been some interesting comment in political circles about the ACTEW ads compared with Penny Wong’s completely anodyne emissions trading scheme commercials. The general view seems to be that John Howard would be proud of ACTEW’s effort.

This is just devastating. I can’t believe that Mr ACTEW isn’t a Canberran.

Also note there are ActewAGL ads on too, plus of course Cahberra Plan invitations fromt eh ACT Government.

Well we know wherr ACT agencies and the ActewAGL get their money from.

We don’t know where the Liberal Party is getting its money from for all the meet Zed ads lately.

Deb Foskey moved to amend electoral disclosure law in May that would have ensured that any donations made before June 30 (at least) were declared before the election. But neither Labor norLiberal were prepared to cop it.

I have ZERO problem with actors being used in ads such as these.

I guess I have a problem with a supposed independent corporation rabbiting on for the government, but it’s one of the benefits of incumbency and is hardly surprising. If the public benefit from election pandering, then good for us. Most of us see it for what it is anyway.

I was naive enough to think that Mr Actew was a genuine local, working at Actew and speaking from the heart. It turns out he must be a Sydney actor who is just a phoney playing a part.

Very naive it looks like. But I think your reading too much into the relationship between ACTEW/AGL and the Teacher’s Fed. The guy’s just an actor. Don’t take whatever he (and others like him) say as gospel.