First published on The Drum: 28/06/2011

People are tiring of the gruelling death struggle that federal politics has become and looking back wistfully to a time when the caucuses did not have blood on their hands.

This week’s Essential Report shows that voters are ready to jump into the Bloodbath Time Machine and return to a time when Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd ruled the political stage like two over-achievers at study camp.

2009 was a more civilised time, when everything had an acronym, the ETS, the GFC, the RRT, the UNHCR and the new PM had convinced the nation that government could address all the problems that had been written down on butcher’s paper at the 2020 Summit.

Read more »

A rally can be a great way to fire up the troops, and to put on a public display of strength. But how can you make sure that your rally gets noticed, and how can you maximise its impact?

Traditionally, the most common way to amplify the impact of a rally is through media coverage. By itself, however, holding a rally is usually not enough to attract the mainstream media’s attention. An event must come with a decent news hook.

For news value, timing can be everything. For example, the recent public sector rally in Sydney was timed to coincide with the passage of the NSW Government’s IR Legislation through the Upper House. This provided the narrative of the media story, with the rally being presented as the public sector’s response to the events going on inside Parliament.

Also think about colour, movement and sound – essential ingredients for the electronic media. Rallies provide perfect opportunities for some good old-fashioned flag waving and chanting. It’s important to have speakers with personal stories to tell – people who can talk about the issue will affect them personally. And if certainly helps if your speakers are articulate, and can talk with passion. A crowd needs to be revved up – you want to inspire raucous cheering, not polite golf claps. Read more »

First published on The Drum: 21/06/2011

While all the focus is on the first anniversary of the knifing of St Kevin, another milestone is slipping through largely unnoticed: the scrapping of his contentious plan to impose a Resource Rent Tax on the mining industry.

It almost seems like ancient history now. In the face of the mining industry’s $20 million blitz, the new Prime Minister sued for peace, settling on a far more modest package that is still working its way through the legislative process.

Twelve months on, for all the self-interested tub-thumping and slick promotional ads from the mining lobby, this week’s Essential Report suggests very few Australians see themselves deriving any personal benefit from the boom.

Read more »

The Every Australian Counts campaign is a unique, unified campaign.

People living with disabilities, carers, families, service providers and advocates – have come together to create a movement for change.

The campaign has one common goal. To make sure the federal government accepts the recommendations of the productivity commission and commits to introducing the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

EMC was engaged to develop and deliver the digital campaign strategy, including the campaign website, www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au , campaign videos and materials.

You can check out the presentation outlining the strategy to win, and the overall approach to the campaign below:

First published on The Drum: 15/06/2011

A strange thing is happening to the asylum seeker debate right now. Coalition MPs are talking about human rights; media reports are focused on the plight of children; negotiations over UN treaties are no longer dismissed as irrelevant.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen may be having a tough time selling his Malaysian Solution but in the process he might be achieving something more fundamental – opening up the nation’s heart just a little.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is pushing the Nauru government to sign the UN Refugee Convention so he can put it forward as a credible alternative for processing there.

Rather than a political prize fight on turning back boats, defying UN conventions and keeping our borders strong, both sides of politics seem to be focused for once on how to meet our international obligations.

Read more »

First published on The Drum: 07/06/2011

After yet another week where politics was dominated by climate change and asylum seekers an issue that many thought went out of fashion with the Cold War trumps both: the protection of Australian jobs and industries.

Despite unemployment sitting at historic low levels, this week’s Essential Report shows industry protection is the sleeping giant of the national debate, trailing only economic management and health as a voter priority.

And with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott working tirelessly to derail the carbon price; embracing industry policy could be the Government’s best bet at neutralising his scare campaign on jobs

Read more »

If your organisation or union had the opportunity to contact almost every professional working within the industry and hold open discussions with them, would you use it?

LinkedIn Groups provides just that. With over 100 million members and counting, LinkedIn is a big player within the social media realm and Groups is the place to tap in.

Think of it as the ‘Facebook Pages’ of the professional world. A few years ago only a handful of leading businesses were creating Pages – now they are becoming almost secondary to a company web site. Unlike Pages, your discussions on LinkedIn Groups will not disrupt someone’s personal time catching up on gossip and holiday photos.

Read more »