8 November 2010

What do you think of the Leigh Report?

| johnboy
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Last week I was moderately thrilled to find in my mailbox “The Leigh Report”, four pages of glossy magazine formatting from the new Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh.

I can’t say I felt much the wiser for reading it, but it was nice of the new member to introduce himself.

But at the party I was at on Saturday night it was a source of considerable derision.

So Fraserites, what did you make of the Leigh Report?

(Denizens of the seat of Canberra feel free to share your communicades from Ms Brodtman)

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But if you do want to tell him your views, and they aren’t aligned with ALP policy, don’t expect him to actually listen. We did, and we were sadly disappointed.

avengerness said :

My thoughts went a little like this…..

‘Oh, here is some paper/environment wasting junk from people I don’t want to hear from, who claim to be all environmental and aren’t in the least…. What to do? I know, rip up and recycle’.

So, his report was ripped up and thrown in the yellow lidded bin. Not the only house that did that either.

Perhaps they need to either as suggested, email to people who care or send it to people that actually want it. Then everyone who gets it will be happy and so will those that don’t.

andrew leigh is, for better or worse, the person elected by democratic process to represent you and your views. if you don’t want to have your point of view heard, fine, quietly go about recycling (well done!) this communication from the local member; but pray tell, how would you go about ensuring that all of those ‘people that actually want it’ (and perhaps we should add ‘may need it’) are actually and discretely discerned? and of course let’s assume that a percentage of these people don’t have e-mail access [think, for a start, older australians who are often complete luddites]. hmm? avenge this.

My thoughts went a little like this…..

‘Oh, here is some paper/environment wasting junk from people I don’t want to hear from, who claim to be all environmental and aren’t in the least…. What to do? I know, rip up and recycle’.

So, his report was ripped up and thrown in the yellow lidded bin. Not the only house that did that either.

Perhaps they need to either as suggested, email to people who care or send it to people that actually want it. Then everyone who gets it will be happy and so will those that don’t.

Why the glossy paper overkill? I looked for a “printed on recycled paper/eco friendly inks” etc notice and there is none. Frankly, newsprint would be a better look in a city where the federal public service is suffering massive cutbacks.

Oh, and amarooresident3, there is no way in hell I want to give some random political organisation in this country my email address. Given the ridiculous “anti spam” legislation in this country, who knows what they’ll send me or who they will sell my details to.

Seriously, publishing is what web pages are for. If you want to sign up to be advised when something new has been posted, great (but they’ve also invented RSS for that, also not requiring an email address).

Amazingly, caf, since I can in fact read, I did see the tabs on Leigh’s website about Writing and Blogging. Neither of those contained the content supplied in the printed material (maybe parts were aggregated into it, but again, not obviously so).

And thanks Holden, about the advice that “political” material is exempt from the junk mail thingie – I didn’t in fact know that.

One more thing about junk mail, some dodgy clothes-selling outfit took the interesting step recently of disregarding my clearly-labelled mailbox and dumping their catalogue on my (and my neighbours in the block’s) doorsteps. It promptly found its way to my recycling bin, despite pleas on the printed material to return it to the “agent” if it wasn’t going to used. If someone is going to litter my doorstep, I’ll dispose of the results as I see fit.

trix said :

Also, haven’t these people heard of the web? If I wanted to know about my local member’s opining on the state of the world, I’d visit their website. If they actually bothered to publish such thoughts on it (can’t find it on a cursory look at his site. Also, thanks for the stupid “want to join the stupid mailing list” popup)

I guess your cursory look missed the “Writing” and “Blogging” tabs, then.

on the ‘no junk mail’ question, can anyone actually clarify that such a sticker has little, if any, standing and that to acheive the desired outcome (notwithstanding the comment qua political ephemera) one should have a sign reading ‘no unsolicited mail [my italics]??

one man’s junk…

on our mp’s newsletter, it is at least a way of knowing our representative both exists and is availablew to his electorate; not something we might have said of the erstwhile member…

I agree with you, JB. And to damn with faint praise, it seemed like a step up from Bob McMullan’s offerings.

Holden Caulfield said :

In case you weren’t already aware, political ephemera is exempt “NO JUNK MAIL” requests.

What if I put a sign on my letterbox saying “No Political Mail”?

Holden Caulfield said :

Quite possibly. I usually just pile up my copies on a dead patch of grass near the driveway in the naive hope the deliverer will get the message. Clearly this not working by the fact I have a number of copies to form a pile in the first place, haha. But it makes me feel better.

I have started to actively use the chronicle to my advantage, by strategically placing each copy on top of a weed in order to kill it.

Holden Caulfield12:17 pm 08 Nov 10

Quite possibly. I usually just pile up my copies on a dead patch of grass near the driveway in the naive hope the deliverer will get the message. Clearly this not working by the fact I have a number of copies to form a pile in the first place, haha. But it makes me feel better.

Holden Caulfield said :

And the f***ing Chronicle!

I think you’ll find Ol’ Lawnkiller would be much less annoying if it did make it to the letterbox.

Holden Caulfield12:13 pm 08 Nov 10

trix said :

I prefer crap like that, not personally addressed to me, NOT to be left in my mailbox that is clearly marked “NO JUNK MAIL”.

Especially annoying since I can’t vote in this country.

In case you weren’t already aware, political ephemera is exempt “NO JUNK MAIL” requests. I think AEC material and perhaps one or two other exemptions are the only items of unaddressed mail that can be legally delivered to such mail boxes.

And the f***ing Chronicle!

As to the report itself, I saw a copy in my PO Box, collected it and now I can’t recall where in my house it ended up. So, I haven’t read it yet.

amarooresident312:05 pm 08 Nov 10

trix said :

Also, haven’t these people heard of the web? If I wanted to know about my local member’s opining on the state of the world, I’d visit their website. If they actually bothered to publish such thoughts on it (can’t find it on a cursory look at his site. Also, thanks for the stupid “want to join the stupid mailing list” popup)

I got mine via email.

Also, haven’t these people heard of the web? If I wanted to know about my local member’s opining on the state of the world, I’d visit their website. If they actually bothered to publish such thoughts on it (can’t find it on a cursory look at his site. Also, thanks for the stupid “want to join the stupid mailing list” popup)

I prefer crap like that, not personally addressed to me, NOT to be left in my mailbox that is clearly marked “NO JUNK MAIL”.

Especially annoying since I can’t vote in this country.

colourful sydney racing identity11:27 am 08 Nov 10

I prefer the Colbert Report.

ainsliebraddon10:46 am 08 Nov 10

I like his idea of mobile offices at the Woolies etc. But no where on his newsletter does he say where his real office is. I know that it is in Torrens Street, but it could have been made clearer in the newsletter.

amarooresident310:37 am 08 Nov 10

It was alright for a first effort – told us what he was up to so far. Once he settles in I would expect it to be a bit more meaty, particularly on local issues.

MPs can’t win can they? Either people complain that they never hear from their local member and when they do it’s never good enough.

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