Liberals on the GDE Collapse

housebound said :

It has become a trademark of Stanhope’s government that they make media statements to favoured journalists on condition of secrecy.

I agree with JB, too, but you’re wrong to single out the Stanhope government. All governments manage information by releasing it to select media. They also release only select amounts of information when they do so. This undermines public debate, which is precisely why they do it.

If the government believes information should be shared with anyone, it should be shared with everyone.

Johnboy said:

Ahh the voice of the man with an ALP email address.

GOLD!!!

I, for one, have not heard Stanhope utter a single word on the subject.

Maybe I need to get out more, but I doubt it.

Until Monday morning, RA was the only place Id even found a mention of this accident, no mention on any national news at all over the weekend nor on many news sites I usually expect to find that sort of information.

Some people I talked to, hadnt even seen images of the collapse until it was apparently on the ABC news on Monday night.

Interesting that on top of the Workcover, ACT Roads, and the project’s insureres individual investigations, the CFMEU have also launched an enquiry.

Their claims that numerous previous complaints of maladministration on this site/safety issues/poor contractor performance have been vehemently denied by Sonic.

The CFMEU appear to have an axe to grind, with their ‘complaints’ having more to do with the contractor’s financial and employment processes, as distinct from safety concerns. I wonder how they are able to gain credence as a valid assesor of any engineering shortcomings?

There do not appear to be any complaints on these grounds prior to Saturday’s events.

Perhaps more a cry for credibility?

I live in Macgregor said :

It’s been reported in the mainstream media that Jon Stanhope attended the scene, along with many CFMEU officials and emergency services. It’s not hard to check this fact. he’s also made statements in the Assembly, which were also reported in today’s media.

Is this thread about John Boy not getting a personal phone call from the Chief? or is it about the Chief not sending out an uneccessary statement just because John Boy asked for it?

I’m more inteterested in the outcomes of the investigation and what can be done to ensure worker’s safety on construction sites around Australia. At the moment we have a Liberal Party (with proud spruikers like Zed) who are hell-bent on REDUCING the ability of worker’s unions to look after their safety. Abbott will bring back the worst elements of WorkChices and make it easier for dodgy companies to underpay, underinsure and exploit workers and workers’ safety.

Ahh the voice of the man with an ALP email address.

If there’s not a signed off media strategy having TAMS do the releases while the Chief only does uncritical media then I’d be very surprised, and that’s what I was drawing attention to.

I don’t want a special statement just for me, I want the reverse of that.

It’s been reported in the mainstream media that Jon Stanhope attended the scene, along with many CFMEU officials and emergency services. It’s not hard to check this fact. he’s also made statements in the Assembly, which were also reported in today’s media.

Is this thread about John Boy not getting a personal phone call from the Chief? or is it about the Chief not sending out an uneccessary statement just because John Boy asked for it?

I’m more inteterested in the outcomes of the investigation and what can be done to ensure worker’s safety on construction sites around Australia. At the moment we have a Liberal Party (with proud spruikers like Zed) who are hell-bent on REDUCING the ability of worker’s unions to look after their safety. Abbott will bring back the worst elements of WorkChices and make it easier for dodgy companies to underpay, underinsure and exploit workers and workers’ safety.

johnboy said :

Disagree, publicly published media releases are at least transparent. (selectively published releases are a method of control, but no more so than tightly limited media calls to pliant outlets)

Further to this, published (as in on their own website) releases mean that a member of the public, such as myself, can see what a politician or party thinks about a subject without the need to read the opinion of the person writing the story in the paper (or whatever format you choose).

All those people out there who only listen to the left wing commies at the ABC, or the fascist mouthpieces of talkback radio, will never know how skewed a report they are getting unless there is something direct from the horses arse mouth to compare it to.

Mothy said :

And stop making out as though putting out a media release is the best possible way of putting something on the public record. Media release’s are a method of control of the media.

Disagree, publicly published media releases are at least transparent. (selectively published releases are a method of control, but no more so than tightly limited media calls to pliant outlets)

johnboy said :

If they’re lucky those three outlets combined reach 20% of the population with any given item. It’s not good enough.

Yet elsewhere on RA you note your readership of 5,000 visitors a day…

Agree with Ari – if you want a quote, give Stanhope’s office a call.

And stop making out as though putting out a media release is the best possible way of putting something on the public record. Media release’s are a method of control of the media.

Completely on JB’s side on this one.

It has become a trademark of Stanhope’s government that they make media statements to favoured journalists on condition of secrecy. Often there is a media release, but the ministers never post it on ACT Government website or release it it any sense of the word. The cynical would say that the politicians are trying to write the story for the journalist so that alternative views get no chance (even affacted parties are silenced in this way).

As JB said, if this were yet another aboretum tree, there would be at least one media release, and it would be widely distributed.

But hey, there’s only a few people seriously injured and massive costs and buck passing to come, so Stanhope clearly believes a formal statement is not necessary.

One final point – the practice of issuing statements but publishing them to web days later is also now normal for all 3 sides. The idea is to give the nemy less chance to comment, but the journalists usually pass everything to the government for comment anyway. So it is a practice that now only favours the government of the day.

amarooresident3 said :

No it doesn’t. Your story says that Stanhope has had ‘nothing to say at all’, when quite clearly he has. He attended the scene and made comments to the journalists who were also attending the scene (doing their jobs) which is what you would expect him to do. Those comments have been disseminated to the public by the three biggest media outlets in this town and are on the public record for anyone who cares to look.

If they’re lucky those three outlets combined reach 20% of the population with any given item.

It’s not good enough.

johnboy said :

amarooresident3 said :

Nonetheless, your story gives the impression that Stanhope has said nothing on this issue, when quite clearly he has. Arguing that statements that have been reported in the newspaper, on TV and radio do not constitute public statements is just silly.

My story correctly notes that no media statement has been made to the public.

No it doesn’t. Your story says that Stanhope has had ‘nothing to say at all’, when quite clearly he has. He attended the scene and made comments to the journalists who were also attending the scene (doing their jobs) which is what you would expect him to do. Those comments have been disseminated to the public by the three biggest media outlets in this town and are on the public record for anyone who cares to look.

Ari said :

Nice justification for laziness there.

The question “If asked will Mr Stanhope’s office trot out a motherhood statement” is just not interesting to anyone with a brain.

johnboy said :

amarooresident3 said :

Nonetheless, your story gives the impression that Stanhope has said nothing on this issue, when quite clearly he has. Arguing that statements that have been reported in the newspaper, on TV and radio do not constitute public statements is just silly.

My story correctly notes that no media statement has been made to the public.

As me no fry put it “they concede nothing without petty, mean-spirited argument”…

You can do better than this johnboy.

johnboy said :

Ari said :

Here’s a thought. You could give Stanhope’s office a call yourself and get your very own personal statement, rather than railing about the lack of media releases.

Because I’m after a public record open to all, not going on the preferential drip feed with all the corruption that follows from it.

There’s no media outlet in this town with a real reach of more than 10% of the population. Private statements to selected tame journos are worthless IMHO.

Nice justification for laziness there.

amarooresident3 said :

Nonetheless, your story gives the impression that Stanhope has said nothing on this issue, when quite clearly he has. Arguing that statements that have been reported in the newspaper, on TV and radio do not constitute public statements is just silly.

My story correctly notes that no media statement has been made to the public.

Ari said :

Here’s a thought. You could give Stanhope’s office a call yourself and get your very own personal statement, rather than railing about the lack of media releases.

Because I’m after a public record open to all, not going on the preferential drip feed with all the corruption that follows from it.

There’s no media outlet in this town with a real reach of more than 10% of the population. Private statements to selected tame journos are worthless IMHO.

Here’s a thought. You could give Stanhope’s office a call yourself and get your very own personal statement, rather than railing about the lack of media releases.

Nonetheless, your story gives the impression that Stanhope has said nothing on this issue, when quite clearly he has. Arguing that statements that have been reported in the newspaper, on TV and radio do not constitute public statements is just silly.

JessP said :

Shame Stanhopeless SHAME

Is that you Derryn Hinch?

Holierthanthou said :

If you’re already in the news about an issue you don’t actually need to do a media release. Media releases are what you release when the media aren’t reporting on an issue or you want to make pre-emptive attempt to make them want them to report. Zed had to a media release because he wasn’t already in the media about this issue.

if you labour under the misapprehension that media is monolithic then perhaps this approach is valid.

If you’re already in the news about an issue you don’t actually need to do a media release. Media releases are what you release when the media aren’t reporting on an issue or you want to make pre-emptive attempt to make them want them to report. Zed had to a media release because he wasn’t already in the media about this issue.

I’m kind of glad that Stanhope hasn’t appeared on TV yet to talk about the bridge collapse – not sure I could stand another one of his displays of borderline-lachrymose self-righteous indignation.

This Labor government has been, in my opinion, the worst government we’ve had. Nothing they do is right – they concede nothing without petty, mean-spirited argument and seem to have no realistic plans for the future (beyond unachievable utopian plans like No Waste 2010, and that cobbled-together piece of dreck Stanhope calls Vision Zero). They clearly don’t understand the concept of rational forward planning, as witnessed by the GDE (I mean the original road) which absolutely everybody in Canberra could have told them needed to be 2 lanes right from the start.

I’m not sure the Liberals could have done any worse. Perhaps somebody could wake Zed up and see if he’s interested in winning the top spot at the next election.

Stanhope was in Sundays CT expressing sympathy etc. He was also at the site on Sat. afternoon.

Stanhope has done statements to television on the bridge collapse.

Shame Stanhopeless SHAME

Stanhope is a benevolant dictator, that eats feral cats while erecting grandiose memorials to his reign.

We need a Generational Change.