First Published on The Punch 28/9/2010

It’s time to put an end to all this partisan negativity. At a time when people are looking to our leaders for vision, it is great to see a political party step up with a long-term vision for the nation.

I am referring of course to the Coalition’s decision to destroy the National Broadband Network and all who promote it and instead uphold Australian values by promoting a more leisurely pace of download.

While the public may be firmly behind the NBN as detailed in today’s Essential Report, I wonder how many have really thought through the implications of faster efficient broadband on their already busy and cluttered lives.

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US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich was first up, and with him his security detail – two clean-cut, serious, suited dudes scanning the room during Bleich’s presentation on the Obama presidential campaign’s pioneering use of social media.

The dudes didn’t have much to worry about with this crowd, the only real and present dangers being excessively snarky tweets or a tussle over an ipad charger.

The Media 140 ‘Oz Politics’ conference at Old Parliament House last week brought together Twitter commentators, activists, journalists, academics and politicians, collectively known as the #politicotragicmediawankersphere.

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I was once called a ‘Fringe Dweller’.

I was making a rare appearance for Lindisfarne first grade in the Tasmanian Cricket Association.  We had a strong team, with several State players, and would play in the finals the following week.  But we lacked depth – which was why I managed to sneak into the first eleven every now and then.

“I can’t believe we’re getting beaten by Lindisfarne,” ‘an ignorant North Hobart supporter was overheard saying on that fateful day.

“They’ve got some good players, but Prins and Pickett are just Fringe Dwellers.”

The insult cut deep.  We lost our semi-final, and I immediately retired from grade cricket.  Sadly, no one really noticed, and my retirement went unreported in the Hobart media.

(Ironically, the Hobart Mercury did report that I was a ‘debutant’ on at least five separate occasions.  Apparently I never made much of an impression on the local cricket writer).

But now, I can finally revel in my status as a Fringe Dweller – because Fringe Dwellers are about to strike back.

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Dear Journalist. Our annual trade conference for X will be held on X at X. Snooze and delete.

When the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) approached EMC with a request to generate media interest in their annual conference, there was some hesitation. Agencies had not delivered the results the Society had hoped for in the past.

The first step was to do the hard yards, and sift through the presentations and papers of dozens of conference speakers, until we identified a handful of market research papers that were topical and contained unreleased stories we could pitch as new and therefore newsworthy.

The stories were there, and when we pre-interviewed the Presenters, mostly market researchers, we found that they were good ‘talent’ for journalists; chatty, confident and positive. Read more »

First Published on The Punch 21/09/2010

Sometimes a response to a polling question comes along that makes you re-evaluate your preconceived ideas, where the public’s refusal to confirm your gut instincts forces you to have a fresh look at the evidence before you.

Spot the popular people in this photo. Pic: Gary Ramage

Asking people to cast stones at the media’s reporting of the federal election seemed like a simple enough exercise, the public would confirm the media did a poor job and we could all wring our hands about democracy once again denied.

But hold the presses. Something is amiss. Fewer than a quarter of respondents to the Essential Report join the party.  One third rate the coverage at election time ‘good’, a further 40 per cent ‘average’. And far more say the media ‘gave fair coverage of all parties’ than thought they favoured a particular side.

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First Published on The Punch 14/09/2010

As a long-suffering leftie, I thought it was just my fragile ego that was picking up an increase in the intensity of the bucketing I have been receiving from my Punch fan club in recent weeks.

Australia, in happier times.

But now we have statistical evidence to prove that the federal election has transformed average Liberal voters from mildly dysfunctional union–baiters into feral class warriors who want to tear down a system that no longer works for them.

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First published on The Drum: 10/09/2010

Thursday night. A balmy Spring evening in BrizVegas. Captains of Queensland commerce and industry, legal eagles, property developers, sporting identities and the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane John Bathersby gather for a convivial evening of fine food, fine wine, beer, spirits – all in the name of a worthy kids charity.

The Xavier Dinner claims to be Australia’s longest running Charity Stag Dinner (circa 1959). It’s a voluntary-based group committed to helping those less fortunate. In its invitation to this year’s $350-a-plate function at the Victoria Park Function Centre at Herston, the organisers describe it as “… a way that men in our community can come together and combine their strengths for a worthy cause”. Over the years Xavier Dinners have raised more than $3 million for mostly small groups often overlooked by donors.

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First Published on The Punch 07/09/2010

Just when it looked like the prospect of a hung Parliament had taken us to a new paradigm of political discourse, where nice trumps nasty and diversity of opinion is respected, the public has sent a clear message: enough already!

After railing against stage-managed elections, two weeks of introspection and pandering to the wishes of non-aligned members has the public calling for a recommencement of hostilities.

According to this week’s Essential Report, a majority of voters want a new election – and even more (70 per cent) believe a new poll is inevitable.

Q. Do you think Australia should have another Federal election in the next 12 months?

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