22 September 2019

Probing the polls: school parking and the campaign to boot Alan Jones from our buses

| Genevieve Jacobs
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Alan Jones

Alan Jones’s presence on the back of ACTION buses has prompted a petition for his removal. Photo: Supplied.

Last week’s poll looked at complaints about school parking during busy times after a Red Hill school parent complained about the 15-minute parking limit when collecting their children.

Parking inspectors recently began patrolling the area around Red Hill School, issuing fines to anyone who has exceeded the 15-minute time limit. P&C President Patrick Pentony made a personal call to extend the parking limit time to 30 minutes, but most of you didn’t agree with the argument that parents were disadvantaged.

We asked you whether the government should extend parking limits outside schools from 15 minutes and 525 RiotACT readers responded.

Your options were Yes, parents need enough time to engage with teachers and the school community without getting fined, which garnered 242 votes.

Alternatively, you could vote No, longer parking times mean someone else loses the chance to use that space, which won the day with 283 votes, a small but clear margin in favour of the proposition.

This week’s poll has already generated energetic debate on RiotACT.

It began with a petition originally created by Canberra businesswoman Peta Swarbrick who called for 2CC’s advertisements featuring Alan Jones to be removed from ACTION buses.

The petition also says that all advertisements that promote people who make sexist public comments should be added to the list of banned advertisers cited in the Transport Canberra advertising guidelines.

“These comments show that Alan Jones does not uphold acceptable community values and does not respect women publicly,” the petition reads. “These comments could encourage violence against women, and therefore the promotion of this broadcaster is inconsistent with the values we should uphold in our community.”

The current Transport Canberra advertising policy states that ads must not represent, portray or promote “a message that can be deemed offensive or demeaning to specific community groups (i.e. religious, ethnic, women, etc)”.

ACT Greens got on board with the call, and Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur says that given the broadcaster’s comments advising the Prime Minister to “stuff a sock” down the throat of NZ PM Jacinda Ardern, “We do not need people promoting this and we don’t need the ACT Government to implicitly normalise this by allowing it on the back of their bus”.

2CC station manager Michael Jones said the petition came as a surprise to him. He asked organisers to contact the station and explain what their problem with the advertisement was.

What do you think? We’re asking whether the campaign to remove Alan Jones’ advertising from the back of ACT buses is a good idea. Your options are to vote No, love him or hate him, it’s a free country, or Yes, I’m completely over Alan, get him out of my eyeline.

There is a campaign to remove Alan Jones' advertising from the back of ACT buses. Is this a good idea?

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Capital Retro10:18 pm 28 Sep 19

“Alan who? “

Alan Jones, Australia’s most successful rugby union coach, that’s who.

I wonder if it had been a male politician being told to put a sock in it if it would have made such an impression. Okay, I know he muddled up the saying, but any Australian should have known what he meant. Also if it had been some leftie insulting someone they would have been applauded.

What a lot of self-serving, manufactured indignation is being sprouted by those who cannot comprehend or abide the existence of alternative views within a democratic society, based on freedom of expression. Those seeking to shut down debate are always the greater danger to society.

Jones released a statement:
“I note some concern about my comment this morning re New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern and her remarks and preaching about climate change.

“Of course what I meant to say was that Scott Morrison should tell Ms Ardern to “put a sock in it.”

“There are many people who would relish the opportunity to misinterpret things that I have said as we have seen online this afternoon. Of course I would not wish any harm to Jacinda Ardern.

“This wilful misinterpretation distracts from my point that she was wrong about climate change and wrong about Australia’s contribution to carbon dioxide levels.”

rationalobserver11:50 pm 24 Sep 19

Jones for PM !!

rationalobserver9:59 am 24 Sep 19

The leftie thought police are out in force over this one.
The harsh reality is that if people didn’t listen to his show, his employers would show him the door. The fact is that a huge number of every day Australians prefer to consume his brand of brainwashing in preference to the ABC’s version of brainwashing.

I wouldn’t waste my time listening to any of Alan Jones views. But I wish the Greens would instead focus on fixing the disastrous Bus network that they helped roll out.

No good complaining about someone in the inner north having to put up with Alan Jones face driving by, when people in the outer suburbs can’t get a Bus to go near them. Although they may count themselves lucky that they don’t have to put up with Alan’s mug shot. Lose Win situation.

Capital Retro10:28 am 23 Sep 19

Given that this survey is centred on Canberrans, the vote has been a massive defeat for the Alan Jones haters given that only 59% of a mainly left base are against him.

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