3 December 2008

Canberra Liberals the laziest opposition in Australia?

| johnboy
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As far as I can tell this is the last media release out of the Canberra Liberals. It’s dated 14 November.

So in the last two weeks they’ve come across no issues worthy of wider exposure? The Government has been so flawless as to be beyond any reproach? No constituents have brought any issues to them at all?

Senator Humphries appears to have been left to do all the work which, on the local stuff, really isn’t his job.

So what use are the Liberal party in the Legislative Assembly and why are we paying for them?

And before the fanbois arc up I’d just like to point out that if the Liberals wanted some positive stories about what they’re doing then it might help to publicise what they’re doing.

UPDATE: Hurrah! Zed has spoken. Days after the subject has moved on, but it’s a start. Amazing what you get when you poke.

May it be the first of many more.

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Agreed that releases for the sake of releases isn’t a great use of time and resources and dulls the message when something serious needs saying.

But somewhere in between lies a happy medium.

Oh, and didn’t said Cassius actually win something? You might need a better example.

since when is the number of media releases sent out a good measure of an oppositions effectiveness?

wait until the assembly has been sitting a while and count how many liberal policies are enacted, how many punches they land in question time, how many times labor back down etc for a better idea of how good they are.

So Zed changed his name when he adopted the Islamic religion??

Yes let’s stop calling Zed Zed. While we are at it, anyone want to discuss the life and career of Cassius Clay?

JB – your criticism must have stung. They now have a few releases out there as of this morning. Well done. Have you thought of hiring out your services in an apolitical mercenary style?

When are they going to let us know how their partnership and regular meetings with Katie are going?

One would suspect that they really don’t want this information out in public.

Still waiting for that one for the open and transparent government they promised.

Jim Jones said :

GB said :

Doctor Evil said :

His name’s not Zed.

Umm, I know its not his birth name, but that seems to be what he has registered himself as in the electoral system. Its what he calls himself publicly. Is there a particular reason you want us to call him something else?

Apparently he has a secret ninja name; this is his *true* name.

lol…yes, he has a secret ninja name.

Reveal yourself, Donatello!

GB said :

Doctor Evil said :

His name’s not Zed.

Umm, I know its not his birth name, but that seems to be what he has registered himself as in the electoral system. Its what he calls himself publicly. Is there a particular reason you want us to call him something else?

Apparently he has a secret ninja name; this is his *true* name.

Doctor Evil said :

His name’s not Zed.

Umm, I know its not his birth name, but that seems to be what he has registered himself as in the electoral system. Its what he calls himself publicly. Is there a particular reason you want us to call him something else?

Gungahlin Al9:47 am 04 Dec 08

Plus, Brendan Smyth can only drain so many children when he is writing press releases in the blood of virginal boy scouts.

You are just all class aren’t you?? No matter what one might think of the guy’s politics, there is no call for making such a scuzzy remark. And it isn’t funny in the slightest.

Can’t find ANY media releases by the Greens except for their trivia night.

When are they going to let us know how their partnership and regular meetings with Katie are going?

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot12:24 am 04 Dec 08

Plus, Brendan Smyth can only drain so many children when he is writing press releases in the blood of virginal boy scouts.

Are we the laziest armchair critics? Katy Gallagher had a two week period with not press releases from 17 Novemebr to 1 December and she runs stuff. To add to that they were not “issues of importance adding to debate” rather it was commenoraing the 10 year existance of the shock trauma service, calling for applications for Audey Fagens Churchill fellowship and the fact that the ACT Government relies on the generousity of the community to fund hospitals by donating $121,000 to a Government funded hospital. Simon Corbell didn’t put a press release out from 11 to 26 November and he runs stuff
Hargreaves wasn’t too bad but didn’t get his first press release out until 21 November since the election.

Stanhope and Barr are not bad , but most of their stuff is rubarb that I would hope that a opposition would not comment on. For example the CM’s first press release after the election that changed the complextion of ACT politics was “Every dog has its day … now a day for every dog” November 15 2008 The next day was “Bus bike racks gain in popularity” again later that day “New Canberrans go behind-the-scenes at Glassworks”.

If press releases are becoming the measure of provuctivity then I think I just worked out the intelligence of the electorate that re-elected this lot

Your face is the latest liberal release

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot11:53 pm 03 Dec 08

Zed has been very busy performing exorcisms and marking Jewish businesses.

If the Libs want to make headlines they should finally whip out the Kool Aid.

Let’s see how they perform in the afterlife……….

Could we stop calling him Zed?

His name’s not Zed.

I got a Greens letter yesterday from Amanda Bresnan (in the junk mail pile – lucky I am checking it out these days) . . . and to be fair, I received a federal labor newsletter from Annette Ellis a few weeks ago. (The fed ALP machine is far more on the ball, it seems).

disenfranchised said :

Zed Seselja developed a deserved reputation among Liberals in his first 3 years at the Assembly for being a Monday to Friday MLA. Taking the Moonies free trip to Korea showed his incredible lack of political acumen and a desire to get a perk. As Jon Stanhope suggested this evening on WIN news, Seselja has basically been on very light duties (Stanhope reckons leave) since the election. I don’t recall Zed working over the Christmas-New Year break earlier this year on becoming leader. Under Assembly arrangements MLAs take leave subject to the Leader’s approval. Who approves Seselja’s leave? He is not the answer for the Liberals. They failed dismally at the last election and carry on like they were contenders.

It’s worth remembering that Zed only got the job because the party was split between two camps and he was the compromise candidate.

Purhaps because stanhopeless hasn’t done a thing since being re-elected? oh except for a new more ugly looking expensive artworks. Oh and a report commissioned by himself to tell himself that the power station site was an excellent choice.

But I don’t remember seeing stories posted on here accusing him of such things.. ah biased rubbish stories. I remember now.

Actually, I saw that news report and thought WOW – Stanhope is getting his media ideas from the Riot Act now! (or JB is a secret JS advisor, but somehow I can’t see that)

Mrshmellowman said :

I thought I should mention that I got a lovely letter from the ACT Greens in my letterbox yesterday telling me all the wonderful things they will do for me now they rule Molonglo with an iron fist in an environmentally sustainable recyclable green bag glove

Mr Rattenbury and Ms La Courtesan were, however, not very grateful for my vote and did not baffle me with the detail of their proposals.

I suppose I will have to trust them!

To be fair, it did say to email LeCoutour for more detail.

disenfranchised7:21 pm 03 Dec 08

Zed Seselja developed a deserved reputation among Liberals in his first 3 years at the Assembly for being a Monday to Friday MLA. Taking the Moonies free trip to Korea showed his incredible lack of political acumen and a desire to get a perk. As Jon Stanhope suggested this evening on WIN news, Seselja has basically been on very light duties (Stanhope reckons leave) since the election. I don’t recall Zed working over the Christmas-New Year break earlier this year on becoming leader. Under Assembly arrangements MLAs take leave subject to the Leader’s approval. Who approves Seselja’s leave? He is not the answer for the Liberals. They failed dismally at the last election and carry on like they were contenders.

“She’s giving it up hard ’cause she’s with Captain Hammer and these [Holding up his fists] are not the hammer.”

colourful sydney racing identity3:53 pm 03 Dec 08

Jim Jones said :

Isn’t Zed’s whole plan to play quiet for a while … you know, just brooding and training hard — pumping iron and silently getting ready. And then, when Labor least expects it … BAM! … Zed comes out like the crazy ninja Liberal leader and just totally kills everyone with his astounding powers of awesomeness.

I can feel a montage coming on!

sepi said :

The Chronicle is more popular than you think.

I was once at a seminar, and they asked who watched SBS/ABC news – almost noone.

Who read a broadsheet – a handfull.

Who read a tabloid/watched local news – 1/3 the room.

Who read the Chronicle – more than half.

It’s free and it’s delivered to every house. Be surprised if a lot of people don’t keep it for the TV guide.

Isn’t Zed’s whole plan to play quiet for a while … you know, just brooding and training hard — pumping iron and silently getting ready. And then, when Labor least expects it … BAM! … Zed comes out like the crazy ninja Liberal leader and just totally kills everyone with his astounding powers of awesomeness.

Mrshmellowman3:30 pm 03 Dec 08

I thought I should mention that I got a lovely letter from the ACT Greens in my letterbox yesterday telling me all the wonderful things they will do for me now they rule Molonglo with an iron fist in an environmentally sustainable recyclable green bag glove

Mr Rattenbury and Ms La Courtesan were, however, not very grateful for my vote and did not baffle me with the detail of their proposals.

I suppose I will have to trust them!

So this seminar was a valid sample size of the Canberra population?

The Chronicle is more popular than you think.

I was once at a seminar, and they asked who watched SBS/ABC news – almost noone.

Who read a broadsheet – a handfull.

Who read a tabloid/watched local news – 1/3 the room.

Who read the Chronicle – more than half.

Perhaps Jess can pick up the issue of speech therapy services in the ACT?

Gungahlin Al3:19 pm 03 Dec 08

Jess the new reporter at the Chronicle is always on the lookout for newsworthy stories, but if people/groups don’t give her the local stuff to work with, what can she do?

There are probably at least one or two good Chronicle reporters, but getting a local pollie to take advantage of the fact that the Chronicle is as desperate for copy as the pollies are willing to give it…

It shouldn’t be all that hard, but I guess it must be.

colourful sydney racing identity2:37 pm 03 Dec 08

I remember Berry getting a puff piece in the Chronicle about growing tomatoes (might even have been front page!) and having some line about the best mulch being the Canberra Times – nice dig

Because the chronicle usually winds up decomposing in your front yard until only a plastic wrapper remains. Too bad the same thing can’t be said about our local pollies.

colourful sydney racing identity2:28 pm 03 Dec 08

Agree, Berry knew how to work the Chronicle. I am amazed more of our local lot don’t.

I miss seeing images of Wayne Berry “looking suitably concerned” over a cracked footpath/broken manhole cover/blocked drain/damaged lightpole on the front page of The Chronicle.

The whole bloody ACT assembly are lazy.

I think even when agreeing with the Government it would be nice to see their reasons for doing so.

I’m not suggesting that this is remotely the case, but I would be remarkably impressed by a party that choose not to shoot from the hip on anything and everything, just to fill a daily quota of column inches and made less frequent releases that displayed a depth of consideration and a clear sense of priorities.

Gungahlin Al1:18 pm 03 Dec 08

O’Malley also pushed for prohibition in ACT. Only to have his name immortalised in the name of a pub!

JB just beat me to this topic, as I was about to post an article titled “MLA, MLA where for art thou MLA?”

But it’s not just the Libs. A few of the ministers who have existing staff to do the grunt work on releases have put a handful out, but other than that, all of them have been almost invisible. I realise there’s likely a lot going on in the background, but elected reps have to be visible.

Like Americans, the “U” was too hard to comprehend for the average Labor party voter.

As an interesting aside, it was King O’Malley (of the pub fame) who pushed for the more “modern” spelling of Labor in the party name.

jakez said :

Colourful…blah blah blah is right. The Australian Labor Party is a name so they get to be Labor instead of labour.

It’s like if my parents were jerkoffs and called me Jaykcobb. It would make me very angry, but my name wouldn’t be Jacob.

Thus they are Labor, and jerkoffs.

LOL. This post goes straight to the poolroom!

caf said :

New Yeah: One of the perks of Government is that you get to put your media releases out on the Chief Minister’s web page.

And what a perk it is – more press releases since 14 November 2008 than I could ever possibly hope to ingest. Ta caf.

Ah Labor,

So atuned to local issues.

So helpful to local business.

I’m still waiting for payment for product supplied for Hettinger’s campaign.

Colourful…blah blah blah is right. The Australian Labor Party is a name so they get to be Labor instead of labour.

It’s like if my parents were jerkoffs and called me Jaykcobb. It would make me very angry, but my name wouldn’t be Jacob.

Thus they are Labor, and jerkoffs.

New Yeah: One of the perks of Government is that you get to put your media releases out on the Chief Minister’s web page.

colourful sydney racing identity12:34 pm 03 Dec 08

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Should probably have called them ‘labor’, but I figured I’d use the Australian spelling of the word…

Labor is the Australian spelling of the party…

I noted on the ACT ALP website that they have not promulgated any press releases since the election in October! (hopefully I didn’t miss a stash of recent releases on their page)

On the other hand, the diligant Greens have put out four releases since 14 November.

I guess the evaluation of the election result was along the lines of “Hmm.. the Small Target Strategy didn’t quite work – looks like we need a Really Tiny Target Strategy!”

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:51 am 03 Dec 08

Our local numpties certainly don’t seem to give a crap about the voters.

No, VY, the spelling Labor is fine. It represents their disregard for the interests of Australians (including their language). They do that pretty well.

I don’t have any particular love of the Labor party.

I have a love of parties who take their arguments to the public.

I spent a decade covering this stuff and I’ve never seen any opposition, ACT included, as utterly silent as the Liberals here have become under Zed.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:38 am 03 Dec 08

Should probably have called them ‘labor’, but I figured I’d use the Australian spelling of the word…

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:37 am 03 Dec 08

JB, we all know you love the labour party, but this ‘story’ is a bit ridiculous mate.

Whatver floats your boat. The idea of a Government where a hedgehog argues with a couple of ugly dorks doesn’t really do it for me either. I’ll take the “spam”.

At least Labor and the Greens make their arguments and debate the issues.

I’m pretty sure the voters weren’t expecting the Liberals to sit on their arses for 3.5 years before unleashing waves of spam on them.

“So what use are the Liberal party in the Legislative Assembly and why are we paying for them?”

Because the people voted, and its called Democracy. I think you will find Both Labor and the Greens are also useless, unless you consider installing crappy sculptures as progress.

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